Tomb Raider leaked script appears to be genuine

A SCRIPT leaked last week rumoured to be from the upcoming Tomb Raider game, and a DMCA claim from publisher Square Enix makes it seem genuine.

The script made its way into the hands of a number of content creators who have been spreading news of the storylines.

According to the rumours, the new game, which Crystal Dynamics has confirmed is being built in Unreal Engine 5, will feature Lara Croft in her thirties.

Under the codename ‘Project Jawbreaker’, it is claimed it will depict Croft after she has spent years working on conserving artefacts.

Through her work, she becomes a minor celebrity and inspires a new generation of tomb raiders, who she teams up with to take on a new adventure.

Alongside these plot points, some parts of the game’s script have also reportedly leaked.

While a number of YouTube channels and websites picked up the rumour, there was no proof as to its authenticity.

However, Colin Moriarty, who was the first to release details, has claimed he received a DMCA takedown notice from Square Enix for his podcast where the cast read out the apparent script.

A DMCA is a complaint which can be sent to a platform in order to remove content which uses your work and copyright.

As reported by VGC, Moriarty has now released a video where he discusses the removal of the section from his podcast.

He says: “They DMCA’d [the] Patreon, to have them ask us to take down the offending audio of us talking about the new Tomb Raider game.

“I was acting on the notion that this is fair use. This is general interest.

“This is of huge general interest. I didn’t break into Crystal Dynamics to steal it.”

Fair use is a law which allows creators to use parts of someone else’s work if they ‘transform’ the content; for example, by providing criticism or commentary.

The podcast still remains online, and the section has only been removed from the version on Patreon.

So far no-one else has claimed that they received a copyright strike from Square Enix.

However, if Square Enix did in fact ask for removal, then it could mean that the information in the leaks is real. 

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.