Speaking to GamesRadar at Summer Game Fest, game director Raul Siqueira said, “I think the biggest lesson that we took from [the Survivor Trilogy] is tuning difficulty based on players’ expectations. One of the things I think we got really good at towards the end of that trilogy was we had a lot of different options for players that wanted to tune the experience to their liking. We found, because Tomb Raider blends a bunch of different things together, there are people that are really into puzzles, and they want puzzles to be very difficult, but they’re not great at combat, so they want combat to be easy.”

The result is players having ways to “customize their challenge to their liking” in Legacy of Atlantis. “That was one of the things that we really wanted to preserve and make sure that players had a good foot. The balance of that is an ever-changing thing. We’re tuning it pretty much until the end.”

As a result, Siquiera couldn’t really get into the nitty-gritty of all the available options or how close it would be to, say, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The 2018 title offered three sliders to tune combat, puzzles, and platforming. Of course, you could also pick an overall difficulty setting, including Deadly Obsession, which makes everything very hard and can’t be changed.

The team will have more to share on that in the future, but he promised a “very similar mode” to previous games. So if you’re someone who prefers zero guidance and zero margin for mistakes throughout the experience, it may be worth keeping an eye on.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches February 12th, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

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.

The company also offered assurances that, while generative AI was used to create early art, all finished content that players will actually experience in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is human-crafted.

“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.”

The studio’s statement came just a few hours after it was revealed through the Steam store page for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis that generative AI was used for its development. In the “AI Generated Content Disclosure” section of the store page, the studio said that the tools were used for “early exploration” and “temporary development”.

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

This disclosure indicated that generative AI was used for things like early concept art and placeholder assets while the development teams were figuring out things like level design and the game’s overall structure. However, Crystal Dynamics hasn’t really gone into deeper detail about the use of these tools.

The use of generative AI in game development has been a major point of discussion in recent times, with many studios falling on either side of the debate. Some, like Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic developer Arcanaut Studios, have said that it won’t use generative AI tools. Others, on the other hand, like Lies of P’s NEOWIZ, have spoken about using generative AI tools to create visuals that can then be used “strictly as internal reference”.

Even larger companies like PlayStation have been using these tools to some extent, ranging from more efficient QA work to streamlining the processes for 3D modelling and animations. Owlcat Games has also confirmed that it is using generative AI for the development of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn for prototypes and placeholder assets.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has also spoken about the technology, noting that, while it has its uses for some things, generative AI isn’t really capable of creating something on the scale of Grand Theft Auto 6.

Following up on a statement about the potential uses of generative AI, Zelnick said, “Do I think tools by themselves create great entertainment properties? No, there’s no evidence that that’s the case and it won’t be the case in the future,” he explained. “Specifically with regards to GTA 6, generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building. Their worlds are handcrafted. That’s what differentiates them. They’re built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They’re not procedurally generated; they shouldn’t be. That’s what makes great entertainment.”

In the meantime, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and will be out on February 10th, 2027.

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

As for exactly what kind of content was generated using AI during development, details are currently unknown. The wording implies that the use of AI tools was largely relegated to the earlier parts of development, when the teams were likely going through rapid prototyping to figure out things like level layouts.

The response to this disclosure has been quite mixed. While there are plenty of posts on the Tomb Raider subreddit thread discussing the use of generative AI in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, others have noted that the fact that these tools were only used in early parts of development seems reasonable. Along with this, some have also posited that using generative AI was likely “mandated by suits” rather than an actual choice by the developers themselves.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. While originally slated for a 2026 release window, Crystal Dynamics confirmed today that the title has in fact been pushed back to February 10th, 2027. While the studio didn’t elaborate on this decision too much, it might have been delayed in order to avoid the splash zone of Grand Theft Auto 6’s November 19th release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The new release date announcement was made with a new trailer showcasing some gameplay, blending combat and traversal. Starting off in the snowy mountains of Peru, the trailer showcased Lara taking on an enemy before then partaking in some platforming sections. Eventually, she finds a tomb, which she has to explore carefully since there are plenty of environmental hazards and traps. The trailer wraps things up with an intense chase sequence, with a T-Rex chasing down Lara, before giving us a look at how she can make use of her grapples to escape a collapsing structure.

Head of studio Scott Amos and game director Will Kerslake had previously spoken about how Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will be a love letter to fans of the original Tomb Raider.

“Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a love letter by fans, all of us, for fans,” he said. “Looking at the opportunity we had with this, we knew the 30th anniversary was coming up and wanted to do something special to both celebrate that moment, but still pay an honor to all of Core Design’s original DNA and intent from this amazing title that launched the franchise. That is literally the debut title that’s set up for what we’re doing now, 30 years later, as part of Tomb Raider.”

It starts with Lara in the snowy mountains of Peru, facing off against an enemy before falling from a bridge and using a pickaxe to try and hang on. She eventually finds a tomb, dodging past some spear traps with incredible acrobatics before fighting a bear. It quickly transitions to somewhere warmer that’s no less dangerous, as she moves gears to unlock access to another tomb.

And while Lara is skilled in the art of combat, whether it’s wielding dual pistols or taking down enemies from behind, she’s still no match for dinosaurs. Cue an escape sequence from a massive T-Rex (with a raptor also seen later), and another where she grapples through a collapsing structure. All in a day’s work for the Croft heiress.

Along with its Standard Edition, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has Deluxe and Collector’s Editions. They include 48 hours of advanced access, while all editions get the Survivor Outfit for free on pre-ordering.

The former includes the base game and an early unlock for the Survivor outfit (which mirrors Lara’s look from 2013’s Tomb Raider) as a pre-order bonus. Meanwhile, pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition confers 48 hours of advanced access, and you get the Parisian Outfit, seemingly inspired by Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, as an early unlock.

If that wasn’t enough, you also get the post-launch DLC story pack whenever it releases. Which also serves as confirmation that Legacy of Atlantis is getting additional paid content.

Naturally, Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Game Studios haven’t officially confirmed the above details. Given how close to State of Play these listings are, it seems likely that a new trailer and announcement will drop during the show. Stay tuned for updates when that happens.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and the apparent reason for skipping 2026 – avoiding Grand Theft Auto 6 – is pretty obvious. The coming months are packed with game releases, so it makes sense for the developer to skip all that noise (much like Fable).

“Electric Square is honoured to have supported Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog on their upcoming reimagination of Lara Croft’s global debut in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis,” wrote the studio, before describing the upcoming reimagining of the original 1996 Tomb Raider and ending the post by saying that it’s “Coming 2026.”

The report indicating that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis would be delayed to February 2027 came courtesy of the Society of Raiders social media account, which is also known for having leaked the game’s existence just a few days before its official unveiling. The fact that the game is indeed still slated for 2026 likely means that the tail end of the year is going to be quite packed with game releases, including heavy-hitters like Marvel’s Wolverine, Fable, and Grand Theft Auto 6.

Crystal Dynamics studio head Scott Amos and game director Will Kerslake had offered a few details about Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, calling it a “love letter by fans, all of us, for fans.”

“Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a love letter by fans, all of us, for fans,” said Amos in an interview. “Looking at the opportunity we had with this, we knew the 30th anniversary was coming up and wanted to do something special to both celebrate that moment, but still pay an honor to all of Core Design’s original DNA and intent from this amazing title that launched the franchise. That is literally the debut title that’s set up for what we’re doing now, 30 years later, as part of Tomb Raider.”

“So being able to have the entire game built from scratch in Unreal 5 is why we call this a reimagining. We’ve taken all of those things that were critical from that first game, and then said, what can we do to push it through a modern-day gamer’s lens and say, this is how we can take areas that might have been a background image in the old game, now completely realized in full 3D.”

Since Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is aiming to bring the original Tomb Raider‘s story to a modern audience, its development teams have also focused on bringing in quite a few modern refinements, including controls and gameplay that match up to other modern third-person action games. It will still maintain the original’s essence, however, like “when you get to fight a T.Rex in the original game.”

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis was unveiled alongside a brand new entry in the storied franchise—Tomb Raider: Catalyst. Slated for release in 2027, Tomb Raider: Catalyst will be an entirely new story that will feature a more confident Lara Croft, as well as the return of the grappling hook.

Both titles are being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

This comes courtesy of @RaidersSociety, which previously leaked the game’s existence days before its announcement at TGA 2025. It’s also classifying this news as a rumor since it can’t name sources, so keep that in mind.

While it may seem disappointing, it makes sense considering Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19th. Legacy of Atlantis could launch before that, but it has to contend with other heavy hitters. Marvel’s Wolverine on September 15th, Fable in the Fall, Halo: Campaign Evolved allegedly releasing this Summer – and that’s before accounting for Gears of War: E-Day, the next Call of Duty, and so on.

Some breathing room wouldn’t be too bad, even if Tomb Raider: Catalyst, which takes place years after Underworld, is scheduled for the same year. Since the game wants to be a “love letter by fans, for fans,” some additional time for polish wouldn’t be too bad.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

While noting that the Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio could be working on their own take on the acclaimed fantasy universe, Crystal Dynamics is allegedly the developer of this particular project. This is according to “those close to the game’s development,” but the studio and the Embracer Group declined to comment.

Apparently meant to compete with Hogwarts Legacy, the project is allegedly being developed with $100 million in funding from Abu Dhabi Investment Office. It’s reportedly a “bit away” as of now (same as last September), even though development has seemingly been ongoing for a while.

Of course, Crystal Dynamics has other projects in the works, such as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. The former is launching this year and offers a retelling of the series’ first title on Unreal Engine 5. The latter, out next year, takes place years after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, and promises to be the franchise’s biggest adventure yet.

Is it possible that the studio ramps up production on The Lord of the Rings RPG after Legacy of Atlantis or perhaps after Catalyst is out? Time will tell, but it would be interesting to see how it tackles Tolkien’s work.

The news follows at least three different instances of layoffs over the course of last year, which could be worrying news for Tomb Raider fans, since there are two major projects in the franchise currently in development at the studio. However, it remains optimistic about its chances and is seemingly going full steam ahead towards its release schedule.

“We know that news like this can cause concern amongst our community. Crystal Dynamics remains fully committed to the future development of our already announced Tomb Raider titles…Today, however, our priority is supporting our colleagues who are moving on,” it said on LinkedIn.

The two games in question are Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a remake of the 1996 classic, and Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a brand-new adventure slated to be quite welcoming to franchise newbies while having enough to keep its veterans engaged. They’re highly anticipated, and rightly so, especially since the last entry, Shadows of the Tomb Raider, was in 2018.

It’s been quite a troubled time for the studio recently, but here’s to hoping that it can shake off those troubles and give us a new Tomb Raider experience that brings back the glory days of the franchise. Catalyst is out next year, but Legacy of Atlantis will launch in 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.