Making her debut all the way back in 1996 with the firstTomb Raider, Lara Croft has been a gaming icon for almost three decades now. As well as starring in 12 mainlineTomb Raiderentries and a slew of spinoffs, Lara Croft has appeared in multiple comic books, animated series, and live-action movies. Though her design and personality have changed slightly over the years, Lara Croft has remained one of the most popular video game protagonists.
Lara Croft is so iconic, in fact, that she’s often transcended her own franchise. Along with the countlessTomb Raidersequels, spinoffs, and adaptations over the years, Lara Croft has also appeared in other video games, often as a crossover skin or as a cameo character. And while Lara Croft is far from the first video game protagonist to live on through cameos and crossovers, she’s quickly becoming the most prolific, perhaps only second toDead Space’s Isaac Clarke.
Lara Croft Is Following in Isaac Clarke’s Cameo-Laden Footsteps
Isaac Clarke Used to be King of Cameos
Back when the firstDead Spacewas released in 2008, Isaac Clarke quickly became the hot new character on the block, with his industrial, LED-lined visual design being instantly memorable. In the years followingDead Space’s release, Isaac Clarke would appear in a vast range of video games, often as a skin.Skate 3,PGA Tour 10, andNBA Jamall used the same engine asDead Space, and thus all imported the same Isaac Clarke character model to use as an easy Easter egg. Isaac also popped up inDragon Age 2,LittleBigPlanet,Minecraft, and eventheMySimsseries.
After the disappointing reception to the launch ofDead Space 3in 2013, enthusiasm for the franchise fell steeply, and Isaac Clarke’s cameo tour ended rather abruptly. But withthe release ofDead Space Remakelast year, Isaac Clarke was thrust into the spotlight once more, and EA made the most out of it by bringing the Sci-Fi protagonist toFortniteas a crossover skin, and more recently,Battlefield 2042, whereDead Spacereceived a surprisingly extensive in-game event.
Lara Croft Is Becoming a Crossover Queen
WhileTomb Raider’s Lara Croft has been no stranger to the realm of crossovers, her cameo appearances have really started to ramp up in recent years. Kicking off thisnew era ofTomb RaidercrossoverswasBrawlhalla, which added Lara Croft as a heroic outfit for Diana in February 2020. Just a year later, Lara Croft would play a substantial part inFortniteChapter 2 Season 6, where both her classic and Survivor Trilogy appearances were available in the season’s Battle Pass.
But there have been moreTomb Raidercrossovers in the last year or so than there have been in the rest of the franchise’s entire history combined. In January 2023, Croft Manor appeared inPowerWash Simulator. In April, Lara Croft appeared in the mobile gameThe Walking Dead: Survivors. In July, an adorable Bean version ofLara Croft appeared inFall Guys. And in August 2023, Lara got an impressive redesign of her classic outfit forCall of Duty.
Lara’s cameo tour has continued into 2024, with her appearing inDead by Daylightas a fully-fledged playable Survivor back in July, and her now set to appear inNaraka: Bladepoint. While she might not get a new game of her own for a while, Lara Croft isn’t fading into obscurity anytime soon.
