During Summer Game Fest 2026 media play days, we had a chance to play Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – read our hands-on preview thoughts here – and interview Crystal Dynamics about the game. During this interview, Game Informer senior video editor Alex Van Aken asked Crystal Dynamics' experience director for the game, Jeff Adams, about the use of generative AI. Here's what he had to say:
"At Crystal Dynamics, we see AI as a tool that can help our team get to right answers faster. So, 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. We can use a generative AI tool to help us visualize that object in the world. And 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. It's really important for us that our team has the tools to make the highest quality experience possible. Our fans deserve nothing less than that."
We followed up, asking, "And so when you drag that generative piece into the engine, does it have scripts attached to it? Or is it an environmental art tool in that procedure? What's that look like?"
At this point, a PR representative stepped in to say, "I think what I'd probably say is I think we've said all we want to say about it now. Once the game comes out and everyone can see how amazing it is, we'd probably be more comfortable. I think in this early moment, I just wouldn't want us to like start talking about that."
Adams concludes, "We just want to make it as easy as possible for us to make high-quality game experiences. That's really the important thing."
We first learned about Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis last year, but it appeared during last week's PlayStation State of Play with a new February 12 release date and a Steam generative AI disclosure that indicates developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog used AI at one point, but notes that all AI assets have been "replaced or refined by humans."
During Summer Game Fest 2026 media play days, we had a chance to play Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – read our hands-on preview thoughts here – and interview Crystal Dynamics about the game. During this interview, Game Informer senior video editor Alex Van Aken asked Crystal Dynamics' experience director for the game, Jeff Adams, about the use of generative AI. Here's what he had to say:
"At Crystal Dynamics, we see AI as a tool that can help our team get to right answers faster. So, 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. We can use a generative AI tool to help us visualize that object in the world. And 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. It's really important for us that our team has the tools to make the highest quality experience possible. Our fans deserve nothing less than that."
We followed up, asking, "And so when you drag that generative piece into the engine, does it have scripts attached to it? Or is it an environmental art tool in that procedure? What's that look like?"
At this point, a PR representative stepped in to say, "I think what I'd probably say is I think we've said all we want to say about it now. Once the game comes out and everyone can see how amazing it is, we'd probably be more comfortable. I think in this early moment, I just wouldn't want us to like start talking about that."
Adams concludes, "We just want to make it as easy as possible for us to make high-quality game experiences. That's really the important thing."
You can watch a video version of this discussion here.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC next year on February 12.
For more, read Game Informer's Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis preview, and then check out the latest Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis trailer.
Does the use of generative AI in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis affect your decision to one day play the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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