Tomb Raider writer reiterates hopes that Lara won't have "father issues" in the new game

News
By published

Pratchett wants the series' focus to be on Lara

Rise of the Tomb Raider
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett hopes Lara Croft's future involves fewer father issues.

When Tomb Raider first launched in the 90s, one of the defining characteristics of its leading lady was her fierce independence. But when development of the series passed from Core Design to Crystal Dynamics, we saw a rewriting of Lara Croft's past and a shift in focus toward her family. Even more so in recent times, with Lara's father playing a big part in the reboot trilogy.

With a new Tomb Raider game just announced, it remains to be seen what kind of character Lara Croft will be going forward, but writer Rhianna Pratchett hopes she'll have fewer father issues. 

"We had a really fun time evolving her character, so I would like to see probably less father issues," Pratchett told Eurogamer at last night's BAFTA Game Awards. "And that's coming from me!" she added.

This isn't the first time Pratchett, who wrote the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and its follow-up Rise of the Tomb Raider, has spoken of her dislike of the series' focus on Lara's father. In a recent tweet, she reiterated that she's not "a fan of the dad plot line in Rise" but that in order to do her job, she had to "make peace with it". 

Pratchett, also confirmed to Eurogamer that she's not involved in the upcoming Tomb Raider game but said that she is "very excited to see what they do with Lara next".

The newest iteration of Lara Croft is something that has divided fans, with some seeing her as a more realistic and relatable character while others prefer the self-reliant action heroine seen in the series' early games.

Lara's next adventure remains something of a mystery, but there are rumours that the new Tomb Raider could be a reimaging of her first adventure.

Find out which of Lara's previous adventures are worth playing as we rank the best Tomb Raider games.

Anne-Marie Coyle
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and Games Radar. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.