2026-06-04 10:01:05

Crystal Dynamics has defended using AI in development for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.

A new trailer for the latest game in the iconic franchise was revealed during the PlayStation State of Play event earlier this week, and a disclaimer has appeared on the upcoming title’s Steam page.

It 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.”

Now, the studio has responded to backlash from fans and sought to explain the situation, without going into specific details about how AI was used.

They said: “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.”

Legacy of Atlantis, which is set to drop in February 2027, isn’t the only game which has used AI.

Crimson Desert studio Pearl Abyss previously apologised for using generative AI during development.

They wrote on X: “During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools.

“These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production.

“However, our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams, with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction.

“Following reports from our community, we have identified that some of these assets were unintentionally included in the final release.

“This is not in line with our internal standards, and we take full responsibility for it.”

The studio noted that they should have “clearly disclosed” its use of AI, regardless of the intention to replace assets.

Pearl Abyss added: “We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI.

“While these tools were primarily used during early production, with the expectation that these assets would be replaced prior to release, we recognize that this does not excuse the lack of transparency.

“We sincerely apologize for these oversights.”

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