Tomb Raider I-III Remastered players spotted that a pair of Lara Croft pinups were removed from Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artefact.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft (2024), Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
As noted by X user momiji_doa the pinups were originally seen above Lara’s locker.
momiji_doa on X
However, following the game’s second patch on April 11th, the posters were completely removed.
momiji_doa on X
While the images have been removed from the remastered version, they are still available in the original graphics version of the game. YouTuber Melonie Mac shared, “Those posters were in the original.”
Ok so I was wrong, those posters were in the originals and I didn’t notice because of the textures.
Well that does indeed suck that they were removed then pic.twitter.com/LMYUnjQSdF
— Melonie Mac ✝️🎮🖤 (@MelonieMac) April 19, 2024
It’s unclear why the pin up posters have been removed. As noted above, it appears the change was made following the game’s second patch on April 11th; however, while there are numerous changes made to Tomb Raider III in the notes, the removal of the pinups was not mentioned.
The posters were also highlighted by the official Tomb Raider website as one of ten remaster details that players might have missed. The blog post entry detailed, “There are two posters, original renders of Lara signed as Laura Cruz in Tomb Raider III’s The Lost Artifact expansion level, Sleeping with the Fishes. Initially, the character of Lara was named Laura Cruz, but the developers later decided to make her British and changed the name to Lara Croft.”
A screenshot from the official Tomb Raider website
So, it’s quite strange that the game’s developer Aspyr would remove the pinups after they were highlighted on the official Tomb Raider website.
However, this is not the first time the game has found itself in the middle of controversy. Crystal Dynamics published a trigger warning in the front of the game disparaging the game’s original developers at Core.
It reads, “The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices. These stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics.”
It adds, “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.”
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered trigger warning
What do you make of these pinups being removed from Tomb Raider I-III Remastered?
