Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer on both Tomb Raider and its acclaimed sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, has announced her departure from Crystal Dynamics.
During her tenure at the studio, Pratchett also contributed to the Tomb Raider comics but is now “off to pursue new adventures” beyond Lara Croft and her archaeological exploits. To commemorate her contribution to the action-adventure series, Crystal rolled out the following statement via Twitter:
Crystal Dynamics and Rhianna Pratchett are announcing today that Rhianna is off to pursue new adventures separate from the Tomb Raider franchise. Rhianna was instrumental in helping us find Lara’s voice in the 2013 origin story, and through Rise of the Tomb Raider she shaped Lara into the evolving heroine we know today. 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.
Rhianna Pratchett now follows Game Director Brian Horton out the exit door, after the latter bowed out of Crystal back in December 2015. In his stead, Ian Milham has been elected director of the franchise going forward, though the studio is yet to announce who will replace Pratchett in the writer’s room. It’ll need to be a fairly quick turnaround, though, considering that the next installment, reportedly titled Shadow of the Tomb Raider, is already brewing in pre-production. We’ll keep you posted as this story unfolds.
Meanwhile, the live-action Tomb Raider movie, one which stars Alicia Vikander as the inimitable Miss. Croft, is due to arrive in theaters in March 2018.