Crystal Dynamics has been the latest subject of controversy surrounding the use of generative AI in the development of the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. While the studio had previously noted that generative AI tools were only used in the earlier parts of the game’s development, director of experience Jeff Adams has offered more clarity on just how the tools were used. Speaking to Game Informer, Adams said that generative AI was used so that the team could “get to [the] right answers faster.”
The example he provided involved the use of generative AI to help the team visualize objects in the game’s world. Through this, he said that decisions could quickly be made about whether the objects work or they don’t, after which the generated object is moved through the studio’s more traditional game development pipeline, which involves concept art, building it out, and polish. He reiterated that all of the assets in the final release of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis have been human-crafted.
“Let me give you an example of what that looks like. So, say in early level development, we have an idea for an object, but we’re not sure whether or not we want to take the dev time to build it,” explained Adams. “We can use a generative AI tool to help us visualise that object in the world. If it works, we’ll then move it to our traditional pipeline. From there, the team will concept it, they’ll build it, and we’ll make sure that all the finished content in the final game is human-crafted.” Adams added it is “really important for us that our team has the tools to make the highest quality experience possible,” stating “our fans deserve nothing less than that.”
When asked for more details about how this process would actually work, Game Informer was stopped by Crystal Dynamics’ PR representative. Closing out the subject, Adams said, “We just want to make it as easy as possible for us to make high-quality game experiences. That’s really the important thing.”
The fact that developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog used generative AI for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis was discovered when the title’s Steam store page went live. The AI Generated Content Disclosure of the store page revealed that the companies used AI-assisted tools for “early exploration” and “temporary development”. When asked for more clarity, Crystal Dynamics said that it makes use of AI tools to help its teams iterate on ideas more quickly and efficiently.
“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,” said the studio. “Our goal is to empower the creativity and flexibility of our developers to deliver the highest-quality experiences for players everywhere.”
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on February 10th, 2027. In the meantime, check out its most recent gameplay trailer.
