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Crystal Dynamics, developer of the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, has issued a public statement to clarify recent statements made to Kotaku by executive producer Ron Rosenberg about an “attempted rape” scene in the game. Rosenberg said that by subjecting Lara to traumatic events players would want to “protect her”.
Studio head Darrell Gallagher said that “sexual assault of any kind is categorically not a theme we cover in this game.”
“We had a great E3 with Tomb Raider and received a fantastic public and press response,” said Gallagher, “with the game picking up numerous game of the show awards based on the new direction taken with the franchise. Unfortunately we were not clear in a recent E3 press interview and things have been misunderstood. Before this gets out of hand, let me explain.”
“In making this Tomb Raider origins story our aim was to take Lara Croft on an exploration of what makes her the character she embodies in late Tomb Raider games,” continued Gallagher.
“One of the character defining moments for Lara in the game, which has incorrectly been referred to as an ‘attempted rape’ scene is the content we showed at this year’s E3 and which over a million people have now seen in our recent trailer entitled ‘Crossroads’. This is where Lara is forced to kill another human for the first time. In this particular section, while there is a threatening undertone in the sequence and surrounding drama, it never goes any further than the scenes that we have already shown publicly. Sexual assault of any kind is categorically not a theme that we cover in this game.”
“We take great care and pride in our work and are focused on creating a release that will deliver meaningful storytelling, drama, and exciting gameplay.”
“We’re sorry this has not been better explained, we’ll certainly be more careful with what is said in future,” concluded Gallagher.
In response to Gallagher’s statement, Kotaku transcribed the section of Rosenberg’s E3 interview where the original comment was made. “And then what happens is her best friend gets kidnapped, she gets taken prisoner by scavengers on the island. They try to rape her, and-” is what was allegedly said.
