In a controversial move, the recent remastered release of the classic Tomb Raider trilogy has seen the quiet removal of iconic pinup posters featuring Lara Croft from one of the levels. The posters, which had been a well-known Easter egg in the original Tomb Raider 3, were present in the remastered visuals when the collection launched in February but have now been scrubbed from the “Sleeping with the Fishes” level following a recent update.
The pinup artwork, featuring the buxom archaeologist adventurer in various poses, had been a staple of Tomb Raider fandom since the late 90s. While difficult to make out in the original pixelated graphics, the remastered version brought them into sharp detail. However, the latest patch has replaced the posters with blank walls, erasing them from the game entirely.
Strangely, no explanation for the removal was provided in the patch notes by developers Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr. This omission, coupled with the fact that the official Tomb Raider website had recently highlighted the pinups as an “Easter egg” for fans to find, has led to accusations of censorship and backlash from certain corners of the fan community.
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
“Absolutely pathetic that someone could think something so harmless needed to be removed and even more so trying to hide it by making it an undocumented change,” one Reddit user raged. “Shame on Aspyr and shame on Crystal Dynamics.”
Others, however, were more sanguine about the edits. “I’m fine with them not being there tbh they don’t make a lot of sense,” a opposing comment read.
The pinup removal seems incongruous with the developers’ stated intent at launch to keep the Tomb Raider remasters unaltered from their original forms. A content warning preceding the games even stated, “The team chose to keep the content in order to present Tomb Raider in its original form, unaltered.”
When reached for comment, representatives from Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr did not provide any justification for quietly omitting the Lara Croft pinup artwork. Whether a deliberate choice to update the games’ content or an unintentional mistake, the removal has proven to be a controversial decision that has divided the passionate Tomb Raider fanbase.
As discourse around artistic expression, censorship, and evolving cultural sensibilities continues, the Lara Croft pinup saga stands as a peculiar data point in the ongoing conversations around appropriately preserving and updating classic gaming properties for modern audiences.
