Developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed it used AI tools during development of its Tomb Raider remake, ahead of the game’s launch.
Between God Of War Laufey and Marvel’s Wolverine, you might’ve missed the new trailer for Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis during the latest State Of Play.
The game is another remake of Lara Croft’s original 1996 adventure and revealed a new release date of February 12, 2027 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
A new trailer, however, wasn’t the only surprise Amazon had in store, as an AI disclaimer has since popped up on the remake’s Steam page.
‘AI-assisted tools were used during development to support some early exploration and temporary development content,’ the disclaimer reads. ‘Any AI-assisted assets were either replaced or refined by humans in order to maintain the creative and artistic vision of the development team.’
While Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis certainly isn’t the first game to use temporary AI assets during development, there are many instances where these assets are ‘accidentally’ left in the game come launch – usually to considerable fan outcry.
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The disclaimer does say the assets have been ‘replaced or refined’, so developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog may have solved the problem already, but it’s nevertheless a disappointing thing to have to worry about ahead of the game’s launch.
AI disclosures have become more common over recent years, although not everyone believes developers should have to disclose generative AI’s use during a game’s creation.
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney said it made ‘no sense’ and compared it to disclosing what shampoo each developer uses, although he’s very much in favour of using generative AI tools during development, unlike many in the industry.
Earlier this year, Crimson Desert found itself in hot water over its use of generative AI, which later led to an apology from developer Pearl Abyss. A similar disclosure is now on the game’s Steam page, confirming it used the tool in a ‘supplementary capacity’ to create ‘some 2D prop assets’.
The use of generative AI in Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis might spark some concern around Lara Croft’s next game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst. The game, also developed by Crystal Dynamics, is slated for 2027, but with this new release date for Legacy Of Atlantis, it could be pushed back to 2028.
Major games with AI disclosures on Steam
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7
- ‘Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.’
Arc Raiders
- ‘During the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.’
EA Sports FC 26
- ‘Generative AI may have been used in creating pre-rendered or live-generated content for this game. All such content is the result of a human-led artistic and creative process.’
The Finals
- ‘During the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team. Examples include voiceover audio where we utilize text-to-speech tools to e.g. generate the audio of our in-game commentators Scotty & June.’
PUBG: Battlegrounds
- ‘Our team uses AI tools to help develop some in-game content.’
Crimson Desert
- ‘Generative AI technology is used in a supplementary capacity during the creation of some 2D prop assets. Any such assets are replaced through our production pipeline by our art and development teams, ensuring they meet our quality standards and creative direction.’
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