Crystal Dynamics, the developer of the Tomb Raider games, announced Rhianna Pratchett is leaving the franchise. Pratchett, the writer behind games such as Heavenly Sword and Mirror’s Edge prior to joining Tomb Raider, was the writer of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot as well as its 2015 sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The reason for the departure was so that Pratchett could pursue new projects. In a joint statement made via Twitter, Crystal Dynamics stated that “The entire team thanks Rhianna for her dedication and tireless efforts on the games. Please join us in wishing Rhianna the absolute best in her next adventure.” On her personal Twitter account, Pratchett thanked the Crystal Dynamics team, and the Tomb Raider fan community, saying “I like to think we did some good things. Maybe shifted the gaming landscape a wee bit. And that feels damn good.”
In Oct, 2016, the title of the next Tomb Raider game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was leaked by a presentation being viewed on a laptop in a Montreal subway. Previously, in Aug, 2015, Square Enix America CEO Phil Rogers accidentally let slip in an interview with GameSpot that the story of the Tomb Raider reboot would be told across a trilogy. Despite all these leaks, a third game in the series is still not officially confirmed by Crystal Dynamics or publisher Square Enix. Currently, there is no word if Pratchett has any involvement with the third game. Her next project is unknown as well.
Pratchett’s writing has been credited with boosting the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise’s success. The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot was received well by critics, and despite what Square Enix viewed as lackluster sales, Rise of the Tomb Raider was developed and released as a timed Xbox One exclusive. At the moment, Crystal Dynamics has not publically stated who will replace Pratchett as lead writer.
