NetEase unveils surprise Lara Croft crossover in Nakara: Bladepoint
NetEase unveils surprise Lara Croft crossover in Nakara: Bladepoint
- Matari will have a Lara Croft-inspired outfit and weapon cosmetics like Lara’s Compound Bow and Climbing Axe
NetEase has collaborated with world-famous Tomb Raider brand to bring it’s heroine, Lara Croft, into its free-to-play action battle royale game Nakara: Bladepoint.
The crossover event is set to launch on Wednesday, August 28th 2024 and will see Matari step into the boots of Lara Croft.
Matari will have a Lara Croft-inspired outfit and be given weapon cosmetics such as Lara’s compound bow and climbing axe. The new additions will give players an adventurous experience as seen in the collaboration trailer below.
Hits and misses
The Tomb Raider franchise has experienced a tumultuous history, with both hits and misses as the brand has passed between different developers and publishers over the years.
With over a decade of experience in the mobile space, Tomb Raider: Relic Run generated over $40 million in revenue, making it one of the most successful mobile games in the franchise.
Recently, Crystal Dynamics – the dev team responsible for reigniting interest in the brand on current gen consoles – regained control of the franchise, ensuring the continuity of Lara’s video games adventures. And while Amazon has secured the rights to create live-action content and publish the games (paying a reported $600 million to do so) they do not own the IP itself which is still owned by Embracer and Crystal Dynamics.
Building on the success of the Kylin Zhang collaboration, the new Tomb Raider partnership with NetEase underscores the company’s commitment to continue expanding its universe with more IP crossovers. And, despite the connection being an unlikely one, it’s great to see Tomb Raider given new life.