Could AI Become an Artbook Problem for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
June 4th 2025
One of the games shown at the PlayStation State of Play was Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a modern remake of the original game that has a lot of players excited. However, the game's listing on Steam has raised eyebrows due to an AI disclaimer, leaving some fans disappointed. While many outlets are covering this story, none are considering its impact on the artbook, which could be a big issue.
AI being used in the creative fields is a contentious issue, with many not happy that generative AI specifically is built on databases of stolen artwork, essentially being used for unethical commissions. I won't go into the issues of job replacement, environmental damage, and the economy of AI here, I have a lot to say but there are better voices for that. I do say a lot about artbooks though, the reason for this article.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has a Collector's Edition, one that comes with a mini artbook often seen in these editions, which has me concerned about its content. The AI disclaimer on Steam states the following; "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." This doesn't clarify if concept art was included, but the response from Crystal Dynamics had me worried.
The publisher's response to video game outlet Eurogamer was as follows;
"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."
The continued lack of specificity about how it was used and what for is a strong indication it may have included concept art and 3D assets. Although these are not the only things it can be used for, they are the most likely to to get a negative reaction from players, which would be the reason not to give more details. Of course, without them saying more, this is speculation, but that is very much needed when you have an artbook coming. This also doesn't include the potential for a standalone artbook either, which each of the last three Tomb Raider games also received.
When it comes to the artbook, it's a massive problem, which is why more details are needed. From the perspective of this collector, an artbook that includes anything made with AI, either directly or as a result of using it, is not worth the paper it is printed on. People should not pay hard earned money for a collection of computer made images that a 10 year old can prompt. Artbooks should be a celebration of human made art, used to enjoy the work from of our favourite artists and releases, as well as inspire people to create themselves.
Artbooks should never be a physical slideshow of what a computer generated, but with more companies turning to AI, the future of what is published could change immensely. I have long theorised that we may see more artist based books, as opposed those based on media releases, because of both the lack of jobs for these artists, but also the push back AI volumes could receive. At some point I am expecting a book to slip in some generative AI that will certainly be a problem going forward for collectors, but whether Legacy of Atlantis will be the one to do it or not remains to be seen.
If AI is used for concept art, then regardless of whether the images were redrawn or refined, they are still not human concepts in the opinion of many, including myself. If at the ideas and concepting stage you have used generative AI, then the foundation of your game is that of AI and it has infected the very DNA of the final release. What you choose to do with that information is a personal choice, some may not want to play the game, others may wait for a deep discount, and some may not care if they just want more Lara Croft, but it is again something that we will be facing more and more.
I have reached out to developer Flying Wild Hog and will update the story with any response regarding how AI was used, and if it will be present in the artbook.
For the sake of gamers, art fans, and collectors, I hope that AI disclaimers become more clear and that the teams behind the games are more transparent. I'm sure the average person that enjoys a game here and there won't be paying attention to the use of AI in their development, but for those that do, being able to make informed purchasing decisions is important. I, like I'm sure many of you visiting this human-made website, have no intention of having any AI in my artbook collection, so hope this is the best case scenario and that the concepts and ideas are all from the minds of the creatives, especially for a remake of an existing game.
To find out more about a potential artbook for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, as well as other games from the recent Playstation State of Play, you can find a full breakdown of the games shown here - Artbook Predictions: PlayStation State of Play June 2026.
I concur,i hope they at least label the use of ai and how they use dit in a very clear manner so people are informed before buying.personally i mostly care only about the very classic tomb raiders. Ehile i enjoyed the remasters,its obvious some textures could had been better.i think they did the remaster of background textures with ia,but some dont connect as well as the originals.hopefully this ai trend will subdue in time. I prefer real artristy personally.