Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart lead writer claims work has been "erased"

eurogamer.net:

The lead writer on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has claimed her work has been «erased» following a GDC talk by Insomniac lead designer Mark Stuart.

As reported yesterday, Stuart discussed the development of Rivet, including gameplay elements and the character's name.

However, lead writer Sam Maggs has responded to IGN's coverage stating «it's pretty upsetting and frankly offensive» that she wasn't included in Stuart's talk, adding «sucks to have my work erased».

Maggs, who has since left the studio, states she was not credited for her work in the game, but was included instead under «Special Thanks».

«This speaks to a broader issue of game devs being entirely erased from the narrative of their own work once they leave a studio,» she said. «I'm not even credited as a writer on this game despite dedicating a year and a half of my life to it and creating Rivet's personality from scratch.»

This speaks to a broader issue of game devs being entirely erased from the narrative of their own work once they leave a studio. I?m not even credited as a writer on this game despite dedicating a year and a half of my life to it and creating Rivet?s personality from scratch.

In a separate thread, Maggs details how the name Rivet came about. She began with three core concepts:

This led to her shortlist of names, including Hammer, Socket, and Gadget — the latter of which was already taken by other known characters.

Eventually the team settled on the name Rivet from her shortlist, a name that has since been attributed to Insomniac programmer David Kim.

«I just want to stress, as I did in my other thread, that none of this works without the team,» said Maggs on Twitter. «I come up with these guidelines, we shoot around ideas that fit within