FLYING WILD HOG DISCUSSES TOMB RAIDER LEGACY OF ATLANTIS IN NEW PODCAST
[ 19 August 2026 ]
Flying Wild Hog has released the third episode of its HOGmented podcast, featuring Arek Tomaszewski, Art Director on Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis. The episode examines Tomaszewski's role in developing the game's visual identity and the responsibilities involved in leading its artistic direction. The episode is hosted by Product Director Tomasz Gop, and is available to watch on the studio's official YouTube channel.
Tomaszewski said the team wanted to recreate the nostalgia and sense of isolation associated with the original Tomb Raider, including memorable moments such as exploring Peru alone before encountering the T-Rex. He added that some of the original game's atmosphere came from technical limitations, but that the emotions and memories they created remain important to the new game's visual direction.
"Firstly, we want to be very, very respectful to the original game. So nostalgia and the memories people created when they were playing the first one, the original one, is something that we want to bring back. We always look to the original one, see what has been done. These feelings that people had when you were playing, and you felt isolated, because of the streaming issues they had at that point. It was not artistic, they just couldn't stream the level further."
"The feeling was created back then, and the memory of you just being this isolated, being alone, the first person to discover this Peru, and then you have this T-Rex just running at you from around the corner. And this memory, probably everyone who played the game remembers that there was a T-Rex and they remember there was a darkness. Those are the emotions, the memories that we want to bring back."
"What we're trying to do is deconstruct to the smallest parts possible and to understand how those memories were created, what the original developers were thinking back then. We want to bring back all those key elements, those key memories like the T-Rex for example, the cog puzzle, we always want to be respectful to the fans, but we want this game to be for everyone. We want to invite new people to the Tomb Raider world as well, with Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis."
Tomaszewski explained that the team is reimagining iconic elements from the original while adding context to make them feel believable within the world. He used the cog puzzle as an example, saying the new game gives the puzzle a narrative purpose tied to an Inca ceremony and Lara's journey to open the gates to Qualopec.
"That's the very big difference between the remake and the original and reimagination. We're taking the key elements and we reimagine them in our own way, but within the boundaries of being respectful to the original. For example, the cog puzzle. It's one of the iconic ones from the original game. But they just slammed the cogs on the wall. And there was no explanation on why those cogs were there and what they're actually doing. We wanted to bring them back, but also settle them in a world that's believable. So for the new players that will be coming in and playing the game, they won't feel they have been cheated with this random puzzle in the middle of the jungle."
"We created this whole world where the Incas built the whole city, and they're using those cogs as a ceremony. They are bringing them back to this one place to create the summer ceremony about opening the gates to Qualopec. And that's what Lara is doing in our game."
Tomaszewski highlighted Crystal Dynamics' experience with Lara Croft, including its work on the Survivor series and Tomb Raider Anniversary, as well as the team's long-standing experience developing Lara's character models. He said this expertise has helped Flying Wild Hog create a better game.
"Crystal Dynamics has a lot of experience working with Lara. They've done the whole Survivor series, they worked on Tomb Raider Anniversary, which is a direct remake of the original game, and they have a bunch of people who have been working on Tomb Raider games for a very long time. There's a character artist who's been working on every Lara model for the past 15 to 20 years. He's done every single Lara model, and he's done the same for us. So definitely working with Crystal is helping us make a better game."
Tomaszewski also discussed his experience moving into the role, visual storytelling, creative challenges and the process of developing the game's interpretation of Lara Croft.
Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis is based on the original 1996 Tomb Raider, developed by Core Design, and Tomb Raider Anniversary, developed by Crystal Dynamics. The game follows Lara Croft as she travels through Peru, Greece, Egypt and a Mediterranean island while searching for scattered fragments of the Scion, an ancient artefact associated with Atlantean lore.
Flying Wild Hog is developing Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, with Amazon Game Studios publishing. The game is scheduled for release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC on 12 February 2027. Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis will be available in Standard, Deluxe and Collector's Editions. The Deluxe and Collector's Editions will include 48 hours of early access.
