'Tomb Raider' pushed back to early 2013

By Brett Molina, USA TODAY

Updated

Video game players will have to wait a little longer for the return of Lara Croft.

Studio Crystal Dynamics confirmed in a statement on the game's official forum that the reboot of Tomb Raider will launch during the first quarter of 2013. It was originally scheduled to be released this fall.

"We're doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game, and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve," says Darrell Gallagher, the head of Crystal Dynamics, in the statement. "We believe this is the right choice, and I guarantee it will be worth the wait."

The revamped Tomb Raider represents a huge leap for Crystal Dynamics and studio Square Enix. The new Lara Croft is an inexperienced college graduate, joining an expedition aboard a salvage ship that crashes and leaves her stranded.

Fresh details on the game will likely be revealed next month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

PREVIEW: 'Tomb Raider'

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About Mike Snider

Mike Snider began covering the video game industry during the Super Nintendo-Sega Genesis clash in 1992. An original pinball wizard, he eventually was seduced by Robotron: 2084 and Tempest. These days he is a fan of action/shooters and lives out his Keith Moon fantasies playing a mean drum kit on music games. More about Mike.

About Brett Molina

Brett Molina has been writing about video games for USA TODAY since 2005. He is well-versed in Madden NFL, the fighting genre and first-person shooters. The first video game he played was Asteroids at a local arcade. He has been hooked ever since. More about Brett.

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