Publisher Square Enix has officially confirmed that a new Tomb Raider game is in development. The announcement was posted to the Tomb Raider Twitter account.

The tweet states that Square Enix is taking a "new approach," though whether that means a new approach to their announcements,  or a new approach to the series is unclear. Light on detail, it goes on to state simply that a new Tomb Raider game is coming, and that fans can expect an official reveal soon with a "major event" in 2018.

The current reboot series began with the release of Tomb Raider in 2013, followed by Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015. Both were critically acclaimed and enormously successful, becoming the franchise's best selling titles, and leaving fans clamoring for a third entry in the series. While it will come as no surprise to most that a new game is in development, Square Enix has kept very quiet about any upcoming Tomb Raider projects until now.

Rumors have been circulating since late 2016 that the next title in the series would be called Shadow of the Tomb Raider but there has been no official confirmation, and little news from Square Enix since the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider. This announcement makes no direct mention of the game's title, but interestingly enough, the first letter of each sentence actually spells out the word "SHADOW". Fans can make of that what they will.

Square Enix Officially Confirms New Tomb Raider Game

Back in January, it was announced that Rhianna Pratchett–lead writer for both Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider–would no longer be working on the series. The announcement was met with disappointment from fans, as Pratchett's writing had been a major factor in the series' success, and certainly set a high bar for a third game. Crystal Dynamics, the developer behind the Tomb Raider series, will have to aim high to match the quality of the stories of their last two titles.

Regardless, fans of the Tomb Raider series will definitely be pleased to see an official confirmation from Square Enix that a third entry in the reboot series is coming. Without Pratchett, it remains to be seen whether the series' dark tone will remain the same, but the developer has a proven track record of success when it comes to Tomb Raider, suggesting that the series is in safe hands.

Square Enix's next Tomb Raider game has yet to be confirmed for launch on any platforms, and does not currently have a release date.