Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics adds a content warning for content that contain racist and ethnic stereotypes in the newly launched Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Collection. Read on to learn more about the studio's statement.
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Contains Warning for Offensive Content
Original Content Still Intact
Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind the popular Tomb Raider series, flagged content in 1-3 Remastered that contain racist and ethnic stereotypes. The decision came as part of the studio's effort to address offensive depictions of people and cultures within the game.
In a statement reported by IGN, Crystal Dynamics acknowledged that certain games in its collection contain offensive depictions rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices. The studio emphasized that these stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with its values.
“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,” explained the studio in the content warning.
While the studio did not specify which content it was referring to, speculation suggests that it could be related to the animalistic depiction of Pacific Island natives in Tomb Raider 3, where they are implied to be cannibals.
Tomb Raider 1 was first released in 1996. Following the success of the first game, development on Tomb Raider 2 began and concluded after around six to eight months, releasing the following year in 1997. Tomb Raider 3 soon followed after and launched in 1998. These were times when mainstream depictions of peoples were considerably ungraceful and lacked tact.
- [1] Screenshot via Reddit
The decision by Crystal Dynamics garnered mostly positive reactions from fans of the game. Many have commended the studio for its transparency and willingness to address problematic content rather than simply removing it. "Honestly, I feel like this is a better choice than awkwardly editing out big stuff from the game," one player wrote.
- [2] Screenshot via YouTube
However,there were others who doubted the good naturedness of the studio, saying, "so basically they said: we need to make money but if we alter the game it may not sell. So we decided to just put a text to virtue signal to appeal to the modern audiences and hoping the older audiences may also get the game lol."
Source:
Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Includes Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Warning From Crystal Dynamics
[1] Reddit Thread
[2] Youtube Comments
