In lieu of the popularity of open world games such as Red Dead Redemption, Mafia II and of course the Grand Theft Auto series, the decision definitely makes sense on a gameplay level.

 

PC Gamer suggested that Lara Croft's next adventure will be set in a roaming open world environment instead of the series' famous puzzle filled tombs, and suggested that the game will be “set on a Japanese island, the idea is to have one, cohesive level with multiple ways around the puzzles.” The game will be exploring Lara's origins with a younger and inexperienced Lara featuring. 

 

Developers Crystal Dynamics are currently working on the game and one thing we do know is that it's set to continue the main Tomb Raider story and won't be a continuation of the Xbox Live Arcade platformer, Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light.

 

The game is expected to be released around Christmas 2011 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.