Tomb Raider Co-Creator Resisted Altering Lara Croft for the Japanese Market Despite Redesign Pressure

13 minutes ago

A defiant Lara Croft wielding her signature dual pistols in a promotional teaser for Tomb Raider.

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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. Toby Gard really didn’t want to alter Lara. As a compromise all that was changed was the manuals & guide. Not sure who did that render or illustrations.

— @cnhyv.bsky.social (@cnhyv.bsky.social)
January 19, 2026

Addressing the newly resurfaced 3D model, Douglas clarified that Victor had requested the in-game character be modified to better suit Japanese tastes. However, these suggestions arrived quite late in the production cycle. Lead designer Toby Gard was steadfast in his refusal to compromise Lara’s original look. Ultimately, a middle ground was found: the stylized manga designs were used exclusively for printed materials, such as manuals and strategy guides, while the character model players controlled remained unchanged.

Douglas admitted he is uncertain about the specific artists behind these renders, but the discovery serves as a compelling piece of Tomb Raider history. It offers a rare look at a version of the archeologist that almost existed, highlighting the creative friction between global marketing and original artistic intent.