I love Tomb Raider. I mean, really love it. Lara Croft is one of my favorite videogame characters, and I always cherish the opportunity to go on an adventure with her - having two new games to look forward to is awesome. It's especially exciting now that we know for certain Legacy of Atlantis is coming to Nintendo Switch 2. Still, there's one little thing that might make you raise an eyebrow, and that's Crystal Dynamics' use of AI in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.
However, while I'm someone who detests AI at the best of times, as a journalist watching it steadily destroy my industry, I have to say the use of artificial intelligence in the new Tomb Raider game isn't actually as bad as you think. Speaking to Polygon, Amazon Game Studios' GM Jeff Gattis explains that "AI-assisted tools were used during development to support some early exploration and temporary development content."
That alone might not make its use better for you. However, Gattis further states that "any AI-assisted assets were either replaced or refined by humans in order to maintain the creative and artistic vision of the development team." So, while I'm not a fan of AI usage at all, and can certainly understand how deflating this may be (I feel it, too), the AI assets aren't in the final product.
It's not like those games that rely solely on AI, being soulless husks that don't deserve a single purchase or download. However, only time will tell whether the use of AI is obvious, as we need to wait until February 2027 to get our hands on the game. Still, perhaps this is just mindless optimism as a Tomb Raider fan, but I'm going to keep telling myself it's not that bad, or it could be worse.
I suspect this forwardness in using AI in the early development of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is strategic, as Amazon Game Studios knows how controversial it is. Gamers aren't quiet about their dissatisfaction with its usage, with 2025 Game of the Year Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 coming under fire when fans discovered the team used generative AI to create it after it picked up the win at The Game Awards.
In theory, we should avoid a nasty surprise at launch and therefore Crystal Dynamics and Amazon avoid a massive backlash that taints Legacy of Atlantis' release. Again, I want to reiterate that I hate AI, but as long as everything truly has been replaced by human work, I'll force myself to look past it and remember how much worse it could be.
What do you think? Is Amazon's honesty welcome or concerning? Let me know in the Pocket Tactics Discord. We can tell ourselves 'it's not so bad' together.