At the PlayStation State of Play conference held in June, the release date of "Tomb Raider: Ruins of Atlantis" was officially announced, but the original window of 2026 was slightly postponed to February 2027. Later, at Summer Game Fest2026, the official released a live trial clip. However, it was this video that caused an unexpected storm in the player community.
Compared with the trailer when it was first announced, players discovered a significant change in the actual demonstration - the protagonist Lara Croft's iconic long braid has become significantly shorter. While this may seem like an insignificant detail to casual viewers, among the core fan base, this change is seen as a critical flaw that undermines the overall aesthetic of the character.
A user started a petition on Social Puzzle calling on the development team to change Lara Croft's braid back to its original long design, using the hashtag #BringBackTheLongBraid. The petition quickly gained a lot of support, with many players saying they "firmly support this petition."
Although the controversy continues to heat up, attentive players have found clues in the officially released promotional materials for the collector's edition. The "Lara Croft vs. Tyrannosaurus Rex" statue that comes with the Collector's Edition shows the short braided version, while the cover of the full version of the game and the iron box packaging image show the long braided image.
This makes players speculate: Unless the official uses wrong materials, it most likely means that "Tomb Raider: Ruins of Atlantis" will include a hairstyle customization function. Previously, officials have confirmed that the game supports a variety of skin changes (such as the "Survivor" prequel trilogy costume as a pre-order bonus, and the "Paris Escaper" costume exclusive to the Digital Deluxe Edition), and hairstyle is one of the customizable options, which is not illogical.
"Tomb Raider: Ruins of Atlantis" is a reboot/remake of the "Tomb Raider" series, jointly created by Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Game Studios. The game is expected to be launched on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms, with an official release date of February 12, 2027.