Old Tomb Raider Remasters Cancelled due to licensing problems

The planned remasters of the original Tomb Raider 1, 2 and 3 games have been canceled, game publisher Square Enix jumped in as Realtech apparently did not ask permission to release the games.

Videos on which the remasters were shown were taken offline, writes DSO Gaming, the games were basically mods that would require the original DOS games on Steam in order to work. 

Crystal Dynamics has offered an official statement about the cancellation of these remasters.

“While we always welcome passion and excitement for the Tomb Raider franchise, the remasters in question were initiated and advertised without seeking approval. As such, they were never officially sanctioned. Ensuring fans receive high quality gaming experiences is at the heart of our mission as a company, which requires all projects to go through proper channels. We are thrilled about the future of Tomb Raider, and cannot thank fans enough for their continued support and excitement for the brand.”

The  remasters would have a new 3D renderer, improved textures and shaders, featured real-time dynamic shadows, and they would support 4K resolutions and anti-aliasing. Furthermore, Realtech VR had plans to allow shaders, textures and models to be changed/customized.