Alix Wilton Regan is the new Lara Croft in Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. But she was also supposed to play Joanna Dark in the Perfect Dark remake, which was ultimately scrapped.
Fans of the generously interpreted everyday life of archaeologists can look forward to two new Tomb Raider titles in the coming years. Catalyst continues the series, and with Legacy of Atlantis, we return to the origins.
In both games, the wealthy Brit is played by Alix Wilton Regan, whom you may have heard in Divinity, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and countless other video games. But until a few months ago, another classic should have been added to this list: Perfect Dark.
”I’m still afraid of losing Lara”
Wilton Regan was supposed to take on the role of main protagonist Joanna Dark in the remake of the cult shooter. In an interview with The Gamer, she reports that she had even already recorded some motion capture scenes for the game. But in the end, it was all for nothing.
In June, Microsoft confirmed that the development studio The Initiative was closing, putting an end to work on the planned Perfect Dark reboot. This was part of a mass layoff that saw 9,000 employees lose their jobs.
Wilton Regan also lost her job as an actress as a result of this decision: “It was devastating. So many people lost their jobs. An entire workforce was disbanded.” After that, the hope was that another publisher, such as Take-Two, would save the reboot from being shelved for good, but no deal was reached.
I’ve never experienced anything like what happened with Perfect Dark in my entire career. And now that I know it can happen, I’m really afraid it could happen again.
But even before the end of Perfect Dark was certain, Wilton Regan was in front of the camera as Lara Croft. It was one of the most creative and exciting times of her life before it came to an end.
I was so relieved that I still had Lara, but at the same time I was really afraid of losing her. I’m still afraid of losing Lara.
The gaming industry is a tough place. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to studios and the press, but to all kinds of creative professionals in general. One of the reasons for this is the increasing frequency of restructuring in favor of new AI technology. This was also the case with the latest wave of layoffs by Microsoft.
Headlines like these regularly cause many fans to take to the barricades. Right now, Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian is facing accusations. In an interview, CEO Swen Vincke admitted to using AI in the design of Divinity.
