Tomb Raider VII next summer?

The seventh instalment in the Tomb Raider series will be released in the summer of 2005, not entirely unpredictably, according to an unlikely source - the publisher of the Tomb Raider comic book series, Top Cow Productions.

In widely reported comments from press release that we can't seem to find online any more, Top Cow outlined why the comic series would be halting in January. "Once we spoke with Eidos and realised they were changing Lara Croft up quite a bit it seemed a prudent course to wrap up what we're doing now and prepare for the newer version sometime late next year."

As a result, the comic "will relaunch in conjunction with the release of the seventh Tomb Raider video game in the summer of 2005." Eidos spokespeople have been unable to comment on the date Top Cow mentions, but such an estimate could tie in with the end of Eidos' financial year, which is probably telling.

Earlier this year, Eidos CEO Mike McGarvey said the firm was "extremely impressed" with the work that developer Crystal Dynamics was doing on the not-yet-officially-named Tomb Raider VII after the franchise was transferred to it from Core Design in 2003, but the game made no appearance at E3 and Eidos is still keeping it firmly under wraps.