Tomb Raider Creators Rejected Manga-Style Lara Croft

One of the original designers of Tomb Raider's iconic Lara Croft has revealed that the game's Japanese publisher requested a significant character redesign to better appeal to Japanese players. The request came during the final stages of development, creating tension between the publisher's commercial concerns and the development team's creative vision.

This revelation sheds light on a pivotal moment in gaming history when cultural adaptation strategies were being tested. The publisher's suggestion to transform Lara Croft into a Manga-style character represents a fascinating "what if" scenario that could have fundamentally altered one of gaming's most recognizable characters.

Paul Douglas, a co-creator and programmer of the original Tomb Raider, confirmed the details of this unexpected request. The pressure from publisher Victor Interactive Software emerged "quite late in Tomb Raider's development" when the company expressed concerns that the Western character design might not resonate with Japanese audiences.

The publisher's solution was direct: they wanted the development team at Core Design to fundamentally alter Lara Croft's appearance. Victor Interactive Software faxed over their own design examples, which featured the exaggerated proportions characteristic of Manga art style—specifically larger eyes and head proportions compared to the original design.

"Victor wanted us to change in-game Lara to appeal more to a Japanese audience. Huge eyes/head etc. They faxed through examples really late in dev."

The timing of this request proved particularly problematic. According to Douglas, the publisher seemed to underestimate the complexity of 3D character modeling in the early days of the technology. What they envisioned as a simple adjustment would have required extensive rework of all in-game models and cutscene animations.

The development team faced a critical decision point when the request arrived. Toby Gard, the co-creator and lead designer of Tomb Raider, strongly opposed altering the character he had helped create. Gard's resistance stemmed from a commitment to the original artistic vision and the character's established identity.

The negotiation process revealed the publisher's evolving expectations. Initially requesting changes to all in-game and cutscene models, Victor Interactive Software gradually scaled back their demands:

• First: Complete overhaul of all in-game and cutscene models
• Then: Only in-game character models
• Then: Only Lara Croft's character model
• Finally: Only Lara Croft's head

This progressive reduction in scope demonstrated both the publisher's flexibility and the development team's firm stance on preserving the core character design. The compromise reached was elegant in its simplicity: rather than altering the 3D models that players would encounter during gameplay, the team would modify only the supplementary materials.

The final agreement preserved Lara Croft's iconic in-game appearance while satisfying the publisher's desire for Japanese market appeal. The compromise involved modifying only the manuals and guide illustrations that accompanied the game. These printed materials featured specially commissioned artwork that incorporated the Manga-style elements requested by the publisher.

This solution allowed the development team to maintain creative control over the actual gameplay experience while providing the publisher with marketable assets for promotional purposes. The Japanese manual, in particular, became the primary vehicle for this artistic adaptation.

Douglas noted that the specific artist responsible for creating these modified illustrations remains unknown. However, the artwork represents a unique piece of Tomb Raider history—a hybrid vision that existed only in printed form while the digital Lara Croft remained unchanged.

"As a compromise, all that was changed was the manuals [and] guide. Not sure who did that render or illustrations."

This approach reflected the practical realities of game development in the mid-1990s, when physical packaging and printed materials played a crucial role in marketing and player engagement.

This revelation about the Manga-style redesign request highlights the cultural adaptation challenges that early Western game developers faced when entering the Japanese market. The 1990s represented a period of increasing globalization in the gaming industry, with publishers exploring various strategies to make Western-developed titles more appealing to Japanese players.

The decision to preserve Lara Croft's original design proved prescient. The character's distinctive appearance became one of the most recognizable in gaming history, contributing significantly to the franchise's global success. The Western design aesthetic, rather than limiting the game's appeal in Japan, helped establish Tomb Raider as a unique property with international appeal.

This historical anecdote also illustrates the evolving relationship between Western and Japanese gaming cultures. While Japanese publishers like Victor Interactive Software brought valuable market insights, the creative vision of Core Design's original team ultimately prevailed, setting a precedent for future cross-cultural collaborations in the industry.

The revelation about this almost-altered Lara Croft design comes at a significant moment for the franchise. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled for release in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam, followed by Tomb Raider: Catalyst in 2027. These upcoming titles will feature Alix Wilton Regan as the voice of Lara Croft, taking over from Camilla Luddington who portrayed the character in the Survivor Trilogy.

The franchise is also expanding into television with a live-action Amazon Prime Video series starring Sophie Turner, which aims to create a unified storytelling universe across games and television. This multi-platform approach represents the modern evolution of the cultural adaptation strategies that publishers like Victor Interactive Software were exploring decades ago.

The story of the rejected Manga redesign serves as a reminder that sometimes the most iconic creative decisions come from resisting external pressure and maintaining artistic integrity. Lara Croft's original design, preserved against the odds, continues to influence gaming culture nearly three decades later.