Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer on Crystal Dynamics’ reimagining of the Tomb Raider series, won’t return to shape the next game’s story. She announced on Twitter that she was moving on to other, unnamed projects.
So, I'm packing up my climbing axe plus a little venison jerky for the road, and bidding a fond farewell to Lara. Onwards to new adventures!
— Rhianna Pratchett (@rhipratchett) January 3, 2017
The Tomb Raider Twitter account broke the news first, wishing Pratchett well after nearly five years with the franchise. She first joined on with 2013’s Tomb Raider, introducing a newer, more grounded take on one of gaming’s most iconic heroes. After that game came a graphic novel spinoff, followed by the 2015 sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider.
While her work on the Tomb Raider games may be what she’s best known for as of late, Pratchett’s credits date as far back as 2004, when she was the story editor on Beyond Divinity. Notable projects following that include Mirror’s Edge and Prince of Persia, both of which she wrote, and BioShock Infinite, on which she as an additional writer.
But it’s Pratchett’s transformation of Lara Croft into a cerebral adventurer with dirt under her nails, rather than the smirking eye candy she was in the ’90s, that has left a lasting impression on players. In a tweet, the writer reflected on the legacy she hopes to be leaving with the Tomb Raider franchise.
“I like to think we did some good things,” she wrote. “Maybe shifted the landscape a wee bit. And that feels damn good.”
Pratchett has other projects in the works, including adapting a film version of her father Terry Pratchett’s novel Wee Free Men, as well as writing the story for indie game Lost Words.
It’s unknown what’s next up for La ra Croft, although a possible new title in the Tomb Raider franchise — Shadow of the Tomb Raider — turned up late last year.