In light of the recent confirmation that Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog made use of generative AI tools in the early development of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Crystal Dynamics has acknowledged this. In a statement to Eurogamer, the company mentioned that it made use of AI tools to allow its team to iterate on its ideas in quicker and more efficient ways.
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.