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The iconic pinup posters featuring Lara Croft have mysteriously disappeared in the highly anticipated remastered editions of Tomb Raider I-III

• Jacob Chambers
• April 22nd, 2024

Last week, Aspyr rolled out the latest update for Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Along with introducing a fresh outfit, the update has reportedly addressed the removal of certain in-game posters, as per feedback from numerous players.

Despite the absence of any official statement in the latest patch notes, avid Tomb Raider enthusiasts have taken to social media and other platforms to bring attention to the removal of the “Lara’s pinup” posters in the fourth level of Tomb Raider III, known as ‘Sleeping with the Fishes‘. These posters can no longer be found in the first room of this particular level. As expected, the online response to this discovery has been quite varied.

The posters, showcased in their pixelated splendor, made their debut in the original game and were reportedly present in the earlier iterations of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, as evident from the image above. However, they seem to have been omitted in the latest updates. Modders wasted no time in bringing back these posters in the remastered version of Tomb Raider III on PC.

Aspyr has not provided any comment on this specific change, leaving us without a clear answer as to why the posters have been taken down.

Crystal Dynamics made a point of including a statement in the trilogy remaster, emphasizing their decision to retain all game content, even if it didn’t align with their values. They expressed a desire to learn from these elements instead of removing them. Here’s the statement in its entirety:

“The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racism and ethnic prejudices. these stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics.

Rather than removing this content, we have chosen to present it here in its original form, unaltered, in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it.”

No fcking way. They did it. They actually did it.

Crystal Dynamics censored out the pics of Lara in the update on Tomb Raider.

WTF!?

Credit/Thx: @momiji_doa pic.twitter.com/yaSBtFXaoH

— Smash JT (@SmashJT) April 19, 2024

The ‘OpenLara’ developer, who was actually hired to work on the Remastered trilogy, recently shared a link on social media to the mod that reintroduces the posters into the remastered version of the game.

Upon the release of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered in February, both critics and fans expressed their satisfaction with the final product. The review from Nintendo Life praised it as one of Aspyr’s most impressive projects yet, effectively revitalizing three of gaming’s most beloved titles.