In contrast , the new Lara Croft is a young , inexperienced woman with a passion for archaeology . She isn ' t elegant , she certainly isn ' t confident , and little is known of her family background . However , Crystal Dynamics haven ' t done away with Lara ' s wealthy family roots in their reimagining . According to the game ' s writer , Rhianna Pratchett , Lara still comes from a wealthy background . Lara definitely comes from money . Her father is titled , Pratchett shares in a recent Crystal Dynamics podcast . At the start of the game her parents are missing . They ' ve been missing for a number of years . That side of things is not touched in the game . Her parents don ' t appear . So she technically has access to that money , but she doesn ' t want to touch it for a number of reasons . Pratchett elaborates For one , she very much wants to stand on her own two feet . She ' s very I don ' t know about stubborn , but she wants to make her own way in the world on her own terms . She puts herself through university . She works several jobs in order to do so , one of which she mentions in the game . She talks about a late shift at the Nine Bells . She doesn ' t use her family ' s money to do that . She does it herself . Also , because her parents are missing , she doesn ' t want to touch that money , because it would sort of be tantamount to admitting that they ' re really gone , that they ' re not going to come back . These aspects of Lara ' s past aren ' t explored in the games , but are explored in the promotional Tomb Raider comics that take place in the weeks running up to the events of the game . Lara ' s wealth is tied up in trusts and various other arrangements , so she can ' t access any of it . These changes , Pratchettwho is also involved with the comicssays , were made to make Lara feel more relatable , and less like a character who has the ability to throw money and fancy gadgets at every problem , adding that She might get there one day , but this is how Lara feels at 21 . From r a i d e r s n e w l a r a c r o f t i sstillrichbuttheresacatch