What was old is once again new, HD remasters and remakes have been a thing for many years, with many games taking years to develop, produce and port to other gaming consoles including PC ports, plus with technology advancing so rapidly in that time, many studios release “ultimate editions” of their games a few years later with upgraded HD graphics, but fans still cry out for the classic games of their childhoods, it was only a matter of time before the studios took notice, having the rights to the games and a built in fanbase, HD remasters are a fairly sure bet when handled correctly (such as the recent Crash Bandicoot and Shadow of the Colossus remasters), and with the recent release of the Tomb Raider film adaption, it seemed like the perfect time for Lara Croft’s original adventures to receive a long overdue makeover.
Test footage released by Realtech VR the third party company in charge of the remaster, seemed to be well received, so why was the remaster canned? Well the simple answer is, because it wasn’t sanctioned by IP holders Square Enix, it seems wires must have been crossed somewhere as all the work done on remastering the early Tomb Raider adventures, was done without the knowledge of the studio that own the rights.
The official statement released by Square Enix is as follows “While we always welcome passion and excitement for the Tomb Raider franchise, the remasters in question were initiated and advertised without seeking approval. As such, they were never officially sanctioned, ensuring fans receive high quality gaming experiences is at the heart of our mission as a company, which requires all projects to go through proper channels.”
As per their statement, Square Enix have not ruled out a remaster for their iconic heroine, and the time still appears right to push forward on one, assuming the next company to try, actually gets permission first, it is said “it is far easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission” but as true as that statement can be, when it comes to copyright law, playing it safe is always the best option.
