Editing Lara Croft (section)

=== Publisher switch to Square Enix ===
{{Quote box |width=35% |quote="After crafting the biography, our goal was to make her as believable and relatable as possible. We wanted to make a girl that felt familiar, but still has a special quality about her. Something about the way her eyes look and the expression on her face makes you want to care for her. That was our number one goal. We wanted to have empathy for Lara, and at the same time show the inner strength that made clear she was going to become a hero". |source=—Brian Horton, senior art director of Crystal Dynamics, on the second reboot<ref name="GI-213"/>}}
Japanese game company [[Square Enix]] acquired Eidos in April 2009, restructuring Eidos into [[Square Enix Europe]].<ref name="EidosAcq">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/tombraider8/news.html?sid=6213037 |title=Square Enix retires Eidos publishing label |first=Tom |last=Magrino |website=GameSpot |date=7 July 2009 |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923050708/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/tombraider8/news.html?sid=6213037 |archive-date=23 September 2011}}</ref><ref name="CVG-Eidos">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/219021/news/square-enix-europe-formed/ |title=Square Enix Europe formed |magazine=Computer and Video Games |author=Staff |date=7 July 2009 |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026000238/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/219021/square-enix-europe-formed/ |archive-date=26 October 2012}}</ref> Crystal Dynamics remained as developer of the ''Tomb Raider'' games.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/04/news-lara-croft_2700_s-new-adventure.aspx |title=Lara Croft's New Adventure |magazine=Game Informer |first=Matthew |last=Kato |date=4 March 2010 |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708074155/http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/03/04/news-lara-croft_2700_s-new-adventure.aspx |archive-date=8 July 2010}}</ref> ''Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light'' introduced cooperative  gameplay to the series, a move that brand director Karl Stewart said was meant to "show [Lara] as a more humanistic character" by placing her in a situation that differed from previous instalments. The game uses the same technology featured in the studio's past ''Tomb Raider'' games.<ref name="Euro-Prev"/> Despite the changes implemented in the titles, Crystal Dynamics believed that the series required further reinvention to stay relevant.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/12/14/the-history-of-crystal-dynamics.aspx?PostPageIndex=2 |title=The History of Crystal Dynamics |magazine=Game Informer |first=Matt |last=Miller |date=14 December 2010 |access-date=27 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217133612/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/12/14/the-history-of-crystal-dynamics.aspx?PostPageIndex=2 |archive-date=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="GI-213">{{cite magazine |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=GameStop |title=Tomb Raider |first=Meagan |last=Marie |issue=213 |date=January 2011 |pages=42–51}}</ref>

In late 2010, Square Enix announced a franchise reboot titled ''[[Tomb Raider (2013 video game)|Tomb Raider]]''; the new Lara Croft would be a darker, grittier reimagining of the character.<ref name="GI-213"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-12/07/tomb-raider-rebooted |title=Tomb Raider reboot brings new Lara Croft |magazine=[[Wired News]] |first=Mark |last=Brown |date=7 December 2010 |access-date=26 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205105123/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-12/07/tomb-raider-rebooted |archive-date=5 February 2011}}</ref> In examining the character, Crystal Dynamics concluded that Croft's largest failing was her "Teflon coating", and that it needed a more human version that players would care about.<ref name="GI-213"/> The studio sought a new voice actress, trialling dozens of relatively unknown performers.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2010/12/21/special-edition-podcast-tomb-raider.aspx |title=Special Edition Podcast: Tomb Raider |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=Game Informer Show |host=Helgeson, Matt; Stewart, Karl; and Longo, Tim |date=21 December 2010 |access-date=21 December 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223155908/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2010/12/21/special-edition-podcast-tomb-raider.aspx |archive-date=23 December 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Lara Croft (2013).png|thumb|upright|Lara Croft's redesign as she appears in the 2013 reboot]]
The second reboot focuses on the origin of the character, and as a result, changes the previous back story. Staff opted to first work on the character's biography rather than cosmetic aspects. Crystal Dynamics sought to avoid the embellished physique of past renditions and pushed for realistic proportions. In redesigning the character's appearance, the designers began with simple concepts and added features that it felt made Lara Croft iconic: a ponytail, "M-shaped" lips, and the spatial relationship between her eyes, mouth, and nose. The company also changed the character's wardrobe, focusing on what it believed was more functional and practical. In designing the outfits, staff aimed to create a look that was "relevant" and "youthful", but not too "trendy" or "hip". To gauge the redesign, Crystal Dynamics conducted [[eye tracking]] studies on subjects who viewed the new version and previous ones.<ref name="GI-213"/> [[Camilla Luddington]] voiced Lara Croft in the reboot.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/gamereport/interview_with_lara_croft_voice_mSrzGWjl71fjc1RuBUJ2uM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502004940/http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/gamereport/interview_with_lara_croft_voice_mSrzGWjl71fjc1RuBUJ2uM |archive-date=2 May 2013 |title=Interview with Lara Croft voice actress Camilla Luddington |last=Sulla-Heffinger |first=Anthony |work=[[New York Post]] |publisher=News Corporation |date=3 April 2013 |issn=1090-3321}}</ref>

Similar to ''Underworld'', the new ''Tomb Raider'' features motion capture-based animation. In an effort to present realism and emotion in the character, Crystal Dynamics captured face and voice performances to accompany the body performances. The company revamped Croft's in-game combat abilities. Crystal Dynamics aimed to make the "combat fresh to the franchise, competitive amongst [similar games], and relevant to the story". Among the changes is the implementation of a free aiming system. The studio reasoned that such a system would cause players to be more invested in the action by fostering a "raw, brutal, and desperate" style. Global brand director Karl Stewart stated that such desperation relates to the updated character's inexperience with violence. He further commented that Lara Croft is thrust into a situation where she is forced to kill, which will be a traumatic and defining moment for her.<ref name="GI-213"/>