Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog have confirmed that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, the upcoming remake of the 1996 game, was made in part with AI tools.
The game’s product page on Steam contains a disclosure about the use of AI, and it says the developers used “AI-assisted tools” 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 disclosure states.
A spokesperson for Crystal Dynamics shared more information on the use of AI in Legacy of Atlantis.
“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. Our goal is to empower the creativity and flexibility of our developers to deliver the highest-quality experiences for players everywhere,” the spokesperson told Eurogamer.
One of the newly released images for Legacy of Atlantis shows Lara dual-wielding pistols, while two more pistols remain holstered. People online said this was odd and possibly related to AI. That remains to be seen, however.
In another newly released image, we can see Lara wielding two pistols and the holsters are empty.
The use of artificial intelligence tools in game development has increased, as developers look to find ways to make games more efficiently to help combat rising development costs.
The use of AI has not been without controversy, of course, as people continue to fear that the use of the technology will negatively affect the business of games and the people who make them, and further enrich executives.
Crystal Dynamics, Flying Wild Hog, and the Tomb Raider franchise are owned by Embracer, a behemoth holding company whose CEO is a big believer in AI for helping to increase profits.
Following a delay, Legacy of Atlantis is now releasing in February 2027. It will be followed later in the year by a brand-new Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst.
