Rhianna Pratchett announced as lead writer on Tomb Raider

Rhianna Pratchett is handling lead writer duties on the Tomb Raider reboot from Crystal Dynamics. Pratchett, the daughter of fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett, is no stranger to video game storytelling, having contributed to the Overlord games, Prince of Persia and Mirror's Edge.

Pratchett has apparently been working on the narrative for Tomb Raider since "its early inception," and has brought "a depth and credibility to Lara" only she can, says Darrell Gallagher, head honcho at Crystal Dynamics. Pratchett, who is at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 this weekend, will participate in two Tomb Raider panels on Saturday. Full schedule and panel descriptions can be found past the break.

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RHIANNA PRATCHETT ANNOUNCED AS LEAD WRITER FOR TOMB RAIDER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REDWOOD, Calif. (July 12, 2012) – Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, today announced award-winning games writer Rhianna Pratchett is the lead writer of TOMB RAIDER®, the acclaimed origins story of Lara Croft®, set for release on March 5, 2013.

English-born Pratchett has been writing for and about videogames for over 14 years. Initially a games journalist, Pratchett quickly moved her passion and skills for creating immersive stories into the narrative of several highly successful videogames. "Rhianna has been working on the game with the narrative from its early inception," said Darrell Gallagher, head of Crystal Dynamics. "She has brought a unique perspective to the project and helped us explore the character origins of Lara Croft. There is no doubt that Rhianna has brought a depth and credibility to Lara, a heroine who will really connect with today's gamers."

"I grew up playing TOMB RAIDER, uncovering the world's secrets and unearthing its treasures; I have lived and died as Lara Croft, but nothing comes close to the challenge of re-writing her," said Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer of TOMB RAIDER. "Seldom do we get the opportunity to reimagine and reinvent a legend, so getting my narrative hands on Miss Croft was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. It was going back to the genesis of videogame action heroines and exploring how to make such an iconic character meaningful and relatable for gamers today."

Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards and nominations for her work, including a BAFTA nomination for Story and Character and a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best Videogame Script.

Pratchett will be participating on two panels during San Diego Comic-Con, both on Saturday, July 14:

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: The TOMB RAIDER development team will talk about the reimagining of a gaming icon on a panel hosted by Zachary Levi (star of Chuck and Tangled and a long-time gamer) at The Nerd Machine's "Nerd HQ" at Block No. 16 Union & Spirits (344 7th Avenue).

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Pratchett joins recently revealed voice of Lara Croft, Camilla Luddington, TOMB RAIDER creative director, Noah Hughes, global brand director, Karl Stewart and narrative designer, John Stafford in a panel moderated by Geoff Keighley (host, Spike TV) at the San Diego Convention Center (Room 5AB).

For more information on how to attend these panels, please visit The Nerd Machine's Official Homepage or the San Diego Comic-Con program page.

For more information on Rhianna Prachett, please visit her official homepage at www.rhiannapratchett.com.

Related Links
Official Homepage: www.TOMBRAIDER.com
Official Twitter: @TOMBRAIDER
Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/TOMBRAIDER
Official Tumblr: http://officialTOMBRAIDERblog.tumblr.com/
Official YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/TOMBRAIDER

About Rhianna Pratchett
Rhianna Pratchett has been a professional writer for 12 years. Having written numerous features and columns on games, movies and books and originally cutting her journalistic teeth on PC Zone magazine and The Guardian newspaper, Rhianna moved into script writing and narrative design in 2002. In 2007 her work on Heavenly Sword was nominated for a BAFTA and a year later she won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain 'Best Videogame Script' award for Overlord.

Alongside writing for videogames, she has also authored the 6-part Mirror's Edge miniseries with DC Comics (see under Comics) and several of her own short stories.

Rhianna has contributed to various books on games narrative including Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing (Edited by: Wendy Despain) and Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames (Edited by: Chris Bateman). See under Books for more information.

She also works with the IGDA Writers' Special Interest Group and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain to help improve games narrative and the lot of games writers everywhere.

Rhianna currently lives in London, with a couple of neurotic tabbies and a gay tortoise. True to British form, she drinks a lot of tea.

About Square Enix, Inc.
Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content throughout the Americas as part of the Square Enix Group. The Square Enix Group operates a global network of leading development studios and boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property, including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 59 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix, Inc. can be found at http://www.na.square-enix.com.