Original Tomb Raider Creators Resisted Calls from Japanese Publisher to Make a 'Manga-Style' Lara Croft

One of the archetypal designers of Tomb Raider's iconic Lara Croft has revealed that Core Design's then-Japanese steadfast had asked for the quality to beryllium fixed a "Manga" redesign to "appeal" to Japanese players.

Responding to 1 instrumentality who had unearthed a remark from him a fewer years ago, Tomb Raider co-creator and programmer Paul Douglas confirmed determination had been a small unit "quite precocious successful Tomb Raider's development" erstwhile steadfast Victor Interactive Software "faxed implicit immoderate of their ain designs" implicit fears the occidental quality plan wouldn't "go down well" successful Japan.

"Victor wanted america to alteration in-game Lara to entreaty much to a Japanese audience," Douglas revealed connected BlueSky. "Huge eyes/head etc. They faxed done examples truly precocious successful dev. [Co-creator and designer] Toby Gard truly didn't privation to change Lara. As a compromise, each that was changed was the manuals [and] guide. Not definite who did that render oregon illustrations."

The mysterious rendering Douglas is referring to tin beryllium seen successful the archetypal representation appended to this BlueSky post, republished below:

Image credit: NixieTube / BlueSky.

An illustration of a "Manga-style" Croft and Jacqueline Natla is besides displayed below:

Lara Croft and Jacqueline Natla, manga style. #TR25 pic.twitter.com/ZqmnMzFR8Y

The tweet supra originates from a akin thread successful 2021 successful which Douglas explained: "I deliberation they conscionable assumed altering each the models would lone instrumentality a fewer days of work. It was aboriginal days of 3D... It started retired arsenic a petition to alteration each the in-game and cutscene models. Then conscionable in-game. Then conscionable Lara. Then conscionable Lara's head…"

"This drafting from the Japanese manual is *perhaps* each that remains…" Douglas added.

As for current-day Lara? Tomb Raider: Catalyst — an all-new escapade scheduled for a merchandise sometime successful 2027 — is acceptable successful the aftermath of a mythical cataclysm that has unleashed past secrets and awakened the mysterious forces that defender them. Before then, though, we're expecting Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis astatine immoderate constituent successful 2026 connected PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam. Alix Wilton Regan volition present play Lara Croft successful some with Camilla Luddington, who portrayed Lara Croft successful the Survivor Trilogy, issuing a heartfelt goodbye to the quality astatine the extremity of past year.

Some Tomb Raider fans are bracing themselves for retcons, fixed the request to acceptable some Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst successful a new, unified Tomb Raider timeline, arsenic good arsenic the upcoming Amazon TV show. The live-action Tomb Raider Prime Video series, which volition prima Game of Thrones alum Sophie Turner, volition “reinvent the franchise connected a monolithic scale” and interconnect “live-action tv bid and video games into a unified storytelling universe.”

Image credit: NixieTube / BlueSky.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.