GameStop Under Fire for Comment on Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft in TOMB RAIDER Series
Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series for Prime Video has shown a single image, and it’s already found itself in the middle of a very online argument. The spark came earlier this week when the streamer unveiled a first-look photo of Sophie Turner suited up as Lara Croft.
What should’ve been a straightforward reveal quickly turned into a flashpoint thanks to an unexpected reaction from GameStop.
The look of Lara Croft leans into nostalgia. Rather than following the grounded redesign from the 2018 reboot, the series appears to be pulling from the original games, right down to Lara’s iconic outfit.
Turner’s look calls back to the classic era while grounding the character in a more modern, athletic realism. For many fans, it was a welcome balance.
Early reactions skewed positive, with plenty of fans saying Turner looks the part of the smart, fearless archaeologist who’s been dodging traps and raiding tombs.
That goodwill hit a wall when GameStop quote-tweeted IGN’s post with a blunt response: “This is not Lara Croft.”
No context. No clarification. Just a single sentence that immediately set social media on fire. While the retailer didn’t explain its stance, the implication felt familiar.
As with past Tomb Raider adaptations, criticism often circles back to appearance. The original Lara Croft design was exaggerated and stylized, a product of its time.
Turner’s version reflects where games and their audiences are now, placing more weight on capability, intelligence, and personality rather than proportions.
Seeing a major gaming retailer reduce the conversation to that level was frustrating for a lot of fans. GameStop isn’t some random account yelling into the void. It’s one of the most recognizable names in gaming, and with that comes influence.
Instead of backing a high-profile adaptation that clearly respects the source material, the company chose a dismissive take that surprised a lot of fans.
The response to GameStop’s comment was swift. Fans flooded replies calling out the tone and defending Turner’s casting. Many pointed out that the industry has grown up, and so has its audience.
Story, character, and performance matter more now than rigid adherence to a decades-old character model. Judging a full series off a single promotional image also felt premature, especially with no trailer or footage to add context.
For what it’s worth, this is only the beginning for Tomb Raider on Prime Video. Production is currently underway, and while there’s no official release date yet, the series is expected to arrive sometime in 2027.
Alongside Turner, the cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is serving as creator, writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner, with Chad Hodge sharing co-showrunning duties. Jonathan Van Tulleken is directing and also executive producing.
One photo shouldn’t define a character who’s survived decades of reinvention. Whether GameStop walks back its comment or not, the larger takeaway is clear. Lara Croft has evolved, and so has the audience watching her.
This new Tomb Raider might not look exactly like the polygonal hero from the ‘90s, but that doesn’t make her any less Lara Croft.