Tomb Raider fan event to take place in Derby

Organiser Luke Earle said super fans were flying in from around the world

Fans from around the world are expected to attend an event being held in celebration of the video game Tomb Raider on Saturday.

TR26 is an annual fan event that takes place in Derby, where the game - famous for its heroine Lara Croft - was created.

Organiser Luke Earle said: "There's a real passion for gaming heritage."

Around 200 people are expected to attend the ticketed event.

Lara Croft is one of the most recognisable faces in gaming

Tomb Raider was created by a small team of people working for Derby video game developer Core Design.

The event is taking place at Quad, a city arts venue and cinema.

Mr Earle, who works as a writer and narrative designer for a games company, said: "I did one in 2016 and one last year to mark the 25th anniversary and now we are going to make it an annual event.

"Tomb Raider is so massive and there's a lot of interest in it.

"These are super-fans flying in from around the world.

"People grew up with these games. We remember playing it with our families.

"Lara Croft was a strong, female heroine which, in the 90s, was very unusual."

Angelina Jolie famously played Lara Croft one of the films of the game

Mr Earle said he had currently sold 170 tickets to fans travelling from places as far afield as Chicago and Marseille.

This year's event, he said, would be held in honour of the final game made in Derby - Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness.

The organiser would now like to make the event an annual one

The day will involve a screening of a Tomb Raider film and a Q&A with Jonell Elliott, the Lara Croft voice actress in Tomb Raiders 4 and 5.

"There's a real passion for gaming heritage so we are already starting to think about growing the event in the future," Mr Earle added.