Other : Nude Cheat

The rumour was that you needed to enter a certain code in the early games and Lara would appear undressed. The truth is that the developers never coded in a secret nude code. So how did it all start? We have one theory...

NB: this article is not intended to delve into the modern side of nude raider or shame anyones' interests, only look into the possible origins.

1997 - April

In March/April 1997, UK games magazine Computer and Video Games released a 'leak' of a nude code in Issue 185, April 1997. [1] The leak apparently came from a reliable anonymous source who had experience working on all platforms of Tomb Raider. They said that it was included to "amuse them during those lonely nights playtesting the levels. But... it was accidently left in". The code required two controllers, one person had to rhythmically tap in a code whilst the player had to make Lara sidestep left and right and - just to speed it up - add jumps. 

April 1997 Issue. Screencap from Internet Archive's Magazine Archive. Uploaded by Jason Scott.

​In hindsight, we can look back at this specific page and pick many flaws with it:
- The disco lights are clearly added upon the image
- The disco light picture uses a beta image, where the health bar is top centre of screen
- Cheat codes never have a variable code to them. They are a specific set of buttons.
- Tomb Raider was not compatible with two controllers
- The author's joke about Larson
- The author's comment which reputedly came from Core reads as a joke
- The 'hot scoop' was featured in April's edition of the magazine

1997 - May

In the next issue, Issue 186 [2], the magazine admitted to it being an April Fool's joke; something that they had to state because many people had contacted the magazine for more information.

Could it be due to the huge interest in this particular joke that fans of Lara's vital statistics went on to create their own nude Laras; photos and eventually their own texture patches? Sadly, this was something that plaqued the franchise and even affecting fansites who had good intentions. The Tomb Raider Archive [3] and Mr Wolf's Tomb Raider Stuff [4] were such websites who in August 1997 and even into January 1998 were being contacted, asking for the nude code, with these particular websites stating that there was no such thing as a nude code. In fact Mr Wolf goes on to say that the nude code "was a hoax started by various game magazines last April as an April's Fools Day joke." It seemed that he received just as many messages about the code as he had to write that any further emails regarding the code would be instantly deleted.

May 1997 Issue. Screencap from Internet Archive's Magazine Archive. Uploaded by Jason Scott.

1997 - June

The then biggest Tomb Raider fansite - The Croft Times - ran an article in June 1997 titled 'Core Will Take Action' [5]. Luis included a snippet of an interview that featured in the June issue of Playstation Power magazine with Core's Operations Director, Adrian Smith (brought to attention by Robert Wheeler of The Tomb Raider Archive). At this point, certain fans had taken a strong interest in Lara and had created a website to host photoshopped images of her naked.

Playstation Power: "How do you feel about the infamous Nude Raider web site which contains fake shots of Lara with no kit on?"
Adrian: "Most of the Tomb Raider web sites are unofficial but they do ask questions directly to us and are a great source of information etc. However we are concerned with the use of naked Lara pictures which are appearing on some of the sites. We find the use of such material damaging and offensive and are currently seeking legal advice to prevent the further use of this material."

Sadly we have been unable to find an archive of this magazine so if there were any more information, it's not currently available.

1997 - November

We've heard the stories that the Lara Exploding cheat code was what the developers would give out to pull a prank on those who would ask for the nude code. The shower scene at the end of the game was also aimed at those who wanted to see Lara naked - "Don't you think you've seen enough?"

1999 - March

On March 18th 1999, it was reported on the BBC website that Core Design were considering legal action against the Nude Raider website and webring that had been specifically created to showcase images of Lara nude [6]. "The company is concerned that Tomb Raider fans searching the Internet for legitimate Lara Croft information could accidentally access "pornographic material" - an association Core says it is keen to avoid. A spokeswoman branded the sites "completely irresponsible. We are looking in to taking legal action. There are a number of Websites featuring the character, but there is one particular site which is causing most of the concern. We have a large number of young fans and we don't want them stumbling across the pictures when they do a general search for Tomb Raider."

Meanwhile, some fansites used to include a small picture on their homepages to indicate that their websites were a "Nude Raider Free" site.

Recent Times

It has been said recently that Eidos Interactive wanted Core Design to program in a nude code but they refused.

In the 1999 magazine 'Lara: The Official Lara Croft Magazine', the Smith brothers were asked whether there was anything the fans do that shocks or surprises them. This was the answer: "Gosh. No (thinks) I think the angle of nudity does still surprise me. I'm still quite surprised that people want to see a cyber character nude. I find that still a little bit odd to get my head around. Take her clothes off and you see a bunch of polygons!" And according to Jeremy Heath-Smith, the developers saw it this way too.

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Sources:

1 - ​https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_185_1997-04_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n9/mode/1up
2 -​ https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_186_1997-05_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n9/mode/2up
3 - http://web.archive.org/web/19970805111648/http://homepages.enterprise.net/mfluderx/cheats.html
4 - ​http://web.archive.org/web/20001120055900/http://www.vvm.com/~hfowler/tombraider/oldnews.html
5 - ​http://web.archive.org/web/19970703115606/http://www.cubeit.com/ctimes/cover002.htm
6 - ​http://web.archive.org/web/20000817034211/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_299000/299040.stm