What you see above is a supposedly leaked concept art image of a new Tomb Raider game that is in the works. Furthermore, the image was accompained by a few details of the game.

Reportedly, the next Tomb Raider game will feature open-world gameplay with a reworked combat system. And, a hint at the game’s plot lets us know that it will be an origin story of Lara Croft showcasing how she came to be.

I don’t know about you guys, but the image art shows a close resemblance to that of what would be featured in a Final Fantasy game. It would make sense considering Tomb Raider’s developer, Eidos, was bought out by Final Fantasy’s Square Enix.

Read (Joystiq)

Naughty Dog’s game director Bruce Straley reckons that Uncharted star Nathan Drake is on his rise to stardom, even saying that Drake “might already be there” when asked if the character could become more famous than Lara Croft. “I feel that Nathan Drake can stand on his own in any line up of the video game pantheon,” he said, going on to assert that the character was a ‘breath of fresh air’.

Quite a boast when you’re discussing a character who has only been featured in a single game so far. Uncharted was quite a success and it may be that people are feeling some sense of real-world nostalgia. Some of the popularity of the title could be that for once someone’s making a real world title that isn’t a World War II game.  Regardless, it’s definitely to say if Drake is a video game icon.

Following the low sales of Tomb Raider: Underworld, Eidos is now considering revising Lara Croft’s design. The publisher hopes to go for a more “female-friendly” look for a wider appeal.

Robert Brent, chief financial officer for Eidos, had this to say: “We need to look at everything, as we develop the next game. Look at how Batman changed succesfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight.”

Full-year revenue for the company has been significantly lowered, ranging from 160 to 180 million pounds, rather than 180 to 200 million.

Read (Times Online)

The developer of the Tomb Raider series, Crystal Dynamics, has layed off thirty of its employees. When asked, Eidos said that they had to let go of their staff because they have “increased focus” on the Tomb Raider Franchise.

This dissapointing news comes after Eidos announced Tomb Raider: Underworld had sold 1.5 million copies since its launch; these numbers were under the publisher’s expectations. As a result, stocks have gone down considerably.

Eidos is still confident that the rest of the year won’t be as bad. They said that their comic book title, Batman Arkham Asylum, will be a smash in sales.

Read (Joystiq)

On Daily Mail Online are a couple of pictures of the professional display gymnast who represents Britain at a national level and has even performed in front of Prince Charles; she is also a coach for younger gymnasts. Carroll has left her day job as a secretary to enter a training regime that includes lopping off the head of people standing next to her with a well-placed kick.

Tomb Raider: Underworld, the next game in the series, is due out November 21 on a variety of platforms.