GenAI Contributes to the Stunning New Tomb Raider Remake

The excitement around Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming Tomb Raider reboot has taken a hit. During a recent PlayStation State of Play event, the studio unveiled a new trailer for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, showcasing its impressive Unreal Engine 5 visuals. However, fans have unearthed an AI disclosure on the game’s Steam page, revealing that this contentious technology was utilized in the early stages of development.

The disclosure reads:

AI-assisted tools were used during development to support some early exploration and temporary development content. Any AI-assisted assets were either replaced or refined by humans in order to maintain the creative and artistic vision of the development team.

The potential inclusion of AI-generated content in Tomb Raider is disappointing, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. Phil Rogers, CEO of Crystal Dynamics’ parent company, Embracer Group, previously referred to generative AI as a “powerful technology” for enhancing efficiency. Additionally, Crystal Dynamics has faced multiple rounds of layoffs, with three occurring last year and another earlier in 2026.

These layoffs coincided with a broader restructuring at Embracer Group, which found itself in a precarious position after a $2 billion deal with the Savvy Games Group, linked to the Saudi Arabia Private Investment Fund, reportedly fell through in 2023.

In a related incident, when Aspyr released Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered last year, Françoise Cadol, the French voice of Lara Croft, accused the studio of using generative AI to modify her performance. Aspyr later apologized and issued a hotfix to remove “all AI voiceover content.” Fans also criticized Aspyr for allegedly using AI to design some unappealing costumes for Lara in Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered. Aspyr responded, asserting that no generative AI was involved and that the costumes were crafted by their team of artists.

While the Legacy of Atlantis disclosure claims that any AI-generated content was “refined” by human hands, this hasn’t stopped some fans from considering skipping the game altogether. Fortunately, if you’re in the mood for a remake of the original Tomb Raider without any AI interference, you can always revisit 2007’s Tomb Raider: Anniversary.

Update 6/3/2026, 2:08 p.m. ET: Crystal Dynamics addressed concerns regarding the AI disclosure in a statement. “At Crystal Dynamics, we leverage AI tools to help our teams iterate on ideas faster and more efficiently, while ensuring that all finished content in the final product is human-crafted,” a spokesperson said. “Our goal is to empower the creativity and flexibility of our developers to deliver the highest-quality experiences for players everywhere.”