GameStop criticized after Sophie Turner as Lara Croft post
The retailer is once again at the center of a scandal after an ambiguous comment about the lead role in Amazon's Tomb Raider series.
After the first shot of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft from the upcoming Tomb Raider series was published, a debate broke out online about whether the actress is suitable for the role. The GameStop retail chain, known for its love of provocative social media posts, unexpectedly joined the discussion.
On January 15, the company's official X account reposted an IGN publication with a photo of Turner and added a short comment: "That's not Lara Croft." Without any explanation, this phrase looked like a direct attack on the actress and quickly caused a wave of negativity. Users began to massively ridicule GameStop, wondering why the retailer was even interfering in the casting discussion of the television series.
One of the most viral responses belongs to blogger CodyLeachYT. He posted a photo of GameStop shelves filled with Funko Pop figures and merchandise, accompanied by the caption: "That's not a game store." The publication gained over 145 thousand likes — almost five times more than the company's original post.
In the comments, users called on GameStop to "focus on business, not casting series," and some accused the brand of trying to deliberately provoke negativity for the sake of virality. The retailer itself did not comment on the situation in any way, which only increased the awkwardness surrounding the incident. At the same time, some of the audience admit that the post could have been ironic, but due to GameStop's reputation, it was mainly perceived as criticism.
Although not all users agree with the choice of Sophie Turner for the role of Lara Croft, some of the community agrees that it could have been worse — online, for example, they joke that Bella Ramsey from the series "The Last of Us" could have been cast for the role.
Meanwhile, production of the Tomb Raider series has officially started in London and at Shepperton Studios. The project is headed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is the showrunner and executive producer. In addition to Sophie Turner, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Bill Paterson and others are involved in the filming. The series is expected to premiere in 2027 exclusively on Prime Video.
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