Tomb Raider dev denies Croft rape scene

Implied threat only

Crystal Dynamics has denied the existence of rape scenes in the upcoming Tomb Raider refresh, after the title's Producer implied just such a threat faces Lara Croft in the new game.

Producer Ron Rosenberg is reported to have said: "And then what happens is her best friend gets kidnapped, she gets taken prisoner by scavengers on the island. They try to rape her," Kotaku reports.

"She's literally turned into a cornered animal," Rosenburg continued, "and that's a huge step in her evolution - she's either forced to fight back or die."

Darrell Gallagher, studio head at Crystal Dynamics, was quick to claimed Rosenberg had been misunderstood.

"Sexual assault of any kind is categorically not a theme that we cover in this game," he insisted.

Maybe, but CD's 'Crossroads' trailer is highly suggestive - a beardy old scrote running his hand over Lara's curves before knocking her to the ground and straddling her; she shoots him almost immediately.

The character may not actually be sexually assaulted on screen - they'd never get that past the censor - but the threat is strongly implied, part of CD's attempt to get players to see the character behind the pneumatic, scantily clad pixels of the past.

Lara Croft's return in Tomb Raider is set to hit shelves in 2013. ®