Update: First Three Tomb Raiders Aren't Receiving Remasters After All

Well, it was a nice idea while it lasted. Realtech VR's PC remasters of the first three Tomb Raider titles don't seem to happening anymore.

Something may have gone awry behind the scenes, because the developer tweeted a (now-deleted) announcement of the projects' cancelation, and the videos are now offline. Then the company tweeted another statement (below) indicating that the studio is no longer working on third-party licenses.  

After this episode, we are refocusing on new projects involving Augmented Reality on iOS and VR on PC. We are not more committed on third party license anymore.

— realtech VR (@realtech_VR) March 21, 2018

 

Original Story (published 3/11/18)

The first three Tomb Raider games, each of which released during the late '90s, are receiving remasters on Steam. If you own the original DOS versions on Steam, you'll be able to grab these remasters for free.

Realtech VR, a developer that previously ported Tomb Raider 1 and 2 on mobile, is behind these upcoming remasters. As such, the PC remasters will be based off the mobile versions, support OpenVR, and feature a new 3D engine. 

TR1-3 remaster for PC are planned for Steam for free and will requires the purchase of the DOS version being sold on Steam (like ZDoom playing Doom games). Also the PC version will supports OpenVR and features a new 3D engine for both 3 games.

— realtech VR (@realtech_VR) March 1, 2018

Realtech also announced that a Tomb Raider 3 mobile port is in the works, and will be showcased in early April before its release. Last year, the company showed off footage of the unreleased PC remasters on YouTube. You can view a couple of these videos below.

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The remastered releases of Tomb Raider 1, 2, and 3 don't currently have a release window or price range (if you don't own the originals), but should we find out, we'll update this article. Late last year, Square Enix teased that a new Tomb Raider is on its way, and that we'll hear more in 2018. A new Tomb Raider film is also releasing soon. You can read our feature about what the films got right and wrong about the series by heading here.

 

Our Take
I haven't played Realtech VR's mobile ports of the original Tomb Raider games, but they seem to have been well-received on the iOS App Store. Although the above videos don't show massive graphical overhauls, it still looks like a worthy upgrade with crisper aesthetics.