The Tomb Raider tabletop RPG is dead due to "creative differences" with licensor

It's a bad day for Lara Croft stans, because the upcoming Tomb Raider tabletop RPG has been canned.

According to the official announcement by publisher Evil Hat Productions, the project's cancellation is due to "creative differences" because "we couldn’t get our vision to gel with the licensor’s." However, even though the Tomb Raider tabletop RPG is dead, its mechanics aren't. Evil Hat goes on to note that the project is going to be reworked in a standalone setting. If you were excited at the idea of a TTRPG that lets you beat Lara Croft at her own game, that may come as a relief – even if the branding won't be there, the same kind of tomb-robbing hijinks will be. Hey, standing on your own two feet didn't work out so bad for Uncharted, did it?

Revealed with little fanfare on publisher Evil Hat's product page (well spotted, EnWorld), the announcement praised the Tomb Raider RPG's "stellar" development team for putting "their hearts into making this an exciting, dynamic RPG of adventure and exploration." Here's the full quote for context:

"Sad news: we are canceling the Tomb Raider RPG project. Due to creative differences we couldn’t get our vision to gel with the licensor’s, so we’ve chosen to part ways.

The stellar team designing this game put their hearts into making this an exciting, dynamic RPG of adventure and exploration.

We’re proud of the work they’ve done and we plan to retool the project as a standalone game with a fresh, original setting. You haven’t seen the last of it."

It's good to see that all the hard work isn't going to waste. The industry surrounding the best tabletop RPGs (not to mention the best board games) is shaky at the moment for a whole mess of reasons, so the project living beyond its license is a small ray of hope. And what we've already seen certainly held promise… even if its characters were in serious need of a hug. As an example, the 'Companion' class is a serial people-pleaser whose "self-sacrifice may be all consuming" with a leaning toward "self-inflicted martyrdom." Meanwhile, the Hunter is apparently in danger of losing themselves to an abyss of mindless violence. Ouch.

There's nothing else to go on right now, but hopefully Evil Hat will be able to reveal more on what the Tomb Raider RPG is turning into in the not so distant future.

Want something to take your mind off all this? Don't miss the best 2-player board games, or the best adult board games.