The End of an Era for Lara Croft
Camilla Luddington posted a heartfelt goodbye to Lara Croft on Instagram this week, officially closing the book on her 12-year run as the voice and motion capture performer for gaming’s most famous treasure hunter. The British actress brought Lara to life across the Survivor Trilogy from 2013 through 2018, and now she’s handing the role to Alix Wilton Regan, who will voice the character in both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (2026) and Tomb Raider: Catalyst (2027).
In her post, Luddington reflected on what the role meant to her career and personal life. “To join the list of Lara Crofts before me was an incredible honor and she will forever be a part of me,” she wrote. “The Survivor Trilogy was a decade of adventure that allowed me to help define a new chapter in her legendary story.” She went on to acknowledge Regan specifically, saying “as always, a new actress receives this incredible gift to step into the boots of this icon.”
The timing makes sense given the direction Crystal Dynamics is taking the franchise. Both upcoming games move away from the younger, more vulnerable Lara that defined the Survivor Trilogy. Legacy of Atlantis reimagines the original 1996 game with a confident, experienced adventurer, while Catalyst takes place after 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld, positioning Lara as a seasoned professional rather than someone finding her footing.
Who Is Alix Wilton Regan
If Alix Wilton Regan’s name sounds familiar, that’s because she’s been voicing characters in major games for over a decade. Gaming fans have definitely heard her work before, even if they didn’t realize it. She voiced Samantha Traynor in Mass Effect 3, one of the most memorable crew members from that game. She played Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077, a pivotal character in that story. Dragon Age: Inquisition players who chose the British female voice for their Inquisitor heard Regan’s performance throughout that entire massive RPG.
Her resume extends beyond those major titles. She voiced characters in Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Lies of P, Amnesia: Rebirth, and The Elder Scrolls Online. More recently, she’s been cast as the player character in Squadron 42, the single-player campaign for Star Citizen that’s been in development for what feels like forever. She also does animation work, voicing Carmen Verde in The Amazing World of Gumball.
What stands out about Regan’s career is versatility. She’s played heroes and villains, main characters and supporting cast, in games ranging from hardcore RPGs to action shooters. That range suggests she can handle the different tones Lara Croft requires, from cocky one-liners during action sequences to genuine vulnerability during character moments.
Notable Voice Acting Credits
- Samantha Traynor in Mass Effect 3
- Alt Cunningham in Cyberpunk 2077
- Female Inquisitor (British) in Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Tasi Trianon in Amnesia: Rebirth
- Ithelia in The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road
- Calista in The Last Story
- The Player in Squadron 42
What We Heard in the Trailers
The Game Awards trailers for both Tomb Raider games gave brief samples of Regan’s take on Lara. She sounds appropriately British, confident, and capable without veering into parody. The tone sits somewhere between the grounded realism of Luddington’s performance and the more adventurous swagger of earlier Lara incarnations from Keeley Hawes and Jonell Elliott.
That balance feels intentional. Crystal Dynamics has stated they’re unifying the Tomb Raider timeline, connecting the classic era to the modern reboot. Regan’s performance needs to work for both a reimagining of the 1996 game and a sequel set after Underworld. Too serious and it doesn’t fit the campier tone of Legacy of Atlantis. Too over-the-top and it clashes with Catalyst’s darker storyline about a mythical cataclysm in Northern India.
Early reactions from Tomb Raider fans have been cautiously positive. Most appreciate that Regan brings genuine voice acting experience rather than just celebrity name recognition. After Camilla Luddington’s praised performance across three games, expectations are high for whoever follows her.
Two Different Lara Crofts in Two Years
Regan faces an unusual challenge. She’s voicing Lara in two games releasing just one year apart, but they’re wildly different takes on the character. Legacy of Atlantis is a remake built by Flying Wild Hog and Crystal Dynamics using Unreal Engine 5. It reimagines the original 1996 adventure where Lara hunts for pieces of the Scion artifact across exotic locations, battling dinosaurs and solving ancient puzzles.
Tomb Raider: Catalyst is an entirely new story set in the classic timeline after Underworld. The game takes place in Northern India following a mysterious cataclysm that’s unleashed ancient secrets and awakened forces protecting them. Rival treasure hunters descend on the region, forcing Lara to race against both competitors and supernatural threats. Crystal Dynamics calls it the most expansive Tomb Raider they’ve ever created.
The developers have confirmed both games exist in the same unified timeline, meaning Regan is essentially playing the same version of Lara at different points in her career. Legacy of Atlantis represents her first major adventure, while Catalyst shows her as an experienced veteran dealing with larger stakes. That creates interesting performance requirements across two projects happening simultaneously.
Camilla Luddington’s Legacy
Luddington’s impact on Lara Croft can’t be overstated. When she was cast in 2012 after an international talent search, Square Enix was rebooting the entire franchise with a younger, more vulnerable version of the character. The 2013 Tomb Raider reimagined Lara as a shipwrecked archaeology graduate forced to survive on a hostile island, transforming from frightened student to hardened survivor.
Her performance earned award nominations including Best Performance at The Game Awards for Rise of the Tomb Raider. The trilogy she anchored sold millions of copies and successfully repositioned Tomb Raider for a new generation. Beyond games, she also voiced Lara in Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft animated series, which expanded her version of the character beyond the game trilogy.
Outside gaming, Luddington is best known for playing Dr. Jo Wilson on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, a role she’s held since 2012. Balancing that demanding TV schedule with major motion capture game performances demonstrates serious commitment to both careers. Her farewell message emphasized gratitude for fans who supported her interpretation of Lara across a full decade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Camilla Luddington stop voicing Lara Croft?
The new Tomb Raider games are moving away from the Survivor Trilogy timeline and character portrayal. Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst feature an older, more experienced Lara in the classic timeline rather than the younger origin story version Luddington portrayed. The recasting appears to be a creative decision to match the new direction.
Will Camilla Luddington return for any future Tomb Raider projects?
There’s been no announcement about whether Luddington’s version of Lara will continue in other media. She previously voiced the character in the Netflix animated series, so it’s possible that version could continue separately from the main game timeline, though nothing is confirmed.
How does Alix Wilton Regan sound compared to Camilla Luddington?
Based on the limited voice samples in the announcement trailers, Regan has a slightly more confident and adventurous tone compared to Luddington’s grounded, serious performance. Both are British accents, but Regan’s delivery leans into the classic treasure hunter persona while Luddington played a more vulnerable survivalist.
Is Alix Wilton Regan doing motion capture too?
Yes, according to her talent agency, Regan is performance-capturing the lead role, which typically includes both voice acting and motion capture for facial expressions and body movements. This follows the same approach Luddington used for the Survivor Trilogy.
When can we play the new Tomb Raider games?
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis releases in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Tomb Raider: Catalyst follows in 2027 on the same platforms. Both games are being built using Unreal Engine 5.
Who else has voiced Lara Croft over the years?
Lara has been voiced by numerous actresses across different games and media. Shelley Blond voiced her in the original 1996 game. Jonell Elliott took over for Tomb Raider II through The Last Revelation. Keeley Hawes voiced Lara from Legend through Underworld. Other actresses include Sophie Turner for the upcoming Amazon series and Hayley Atwell for the Netflix animated show.
Are these games connected to the Survivor Trilogy?
No, Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst exist in the classic Tomb Raider timeline, not the reboot timeline from 2013-2018. Crystal Dynamics is working to unify the classic timeline rather than continue the origin story from the Survivor Trilogy.
A New Chapter Begins
Voice actor changes always carry risk, especially for characters as iconic as Lara Croft. Fans develop attachments to specific interpretations, and Camilla Luddington created a version of Lara that defined the character for an entire generation of players. Her emotional, grounded performance helped the Survivor Trilogy succeed both critically and commercially.
But Alix Wilton Regan brings her own strengths to the role. Her extensive background in video game voice acting means she understands the medium’s unique requirements. Games demand hundreds of lines covering everything from combat barks to emotional cutscenes to idle chatter, all recorded out of sequence without context. That’s a different skill set than traditional acting, and Regan has proven she can handle it across multiple major franchises.
The decision to recast makes sense given where Crystal Dynamics is taking Tomb Raider. Moving away from the origin story means moving away from the actress who defined that era. Luddington’s Lara was about becoming a survivor. Regan’s Lara is already there, ready for classic globe-trotting adventures with mythical artifacts and supernatural threats. It’s not better or worse, just different, and sometimes franchises need different to move forward. We’ll find out if the change works when Legacy of Atlantis arrives in 2026.