The narrative director of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has confirmed that his work was “cut through” after a stint at GDC by Insomniac Games design director Mark Stuart.
Stuart talked about game development and, more specifically, the creation of Rivetelements judged by his personality and his name.
Writer Sam Maggs answered this question in IGNexplaining that “it’s frankly offensive” which is not mentioned in Stuart’s story, given the significant role he played in the creation of Rivet.
Maggs, who left the study before the game launched, confirmed that his work was unaccredited, and instead was included in “special thanks”.
“I’m talking about a bigger issue, that of developers straying from the narrative of their own work when they leave a study. I don’t think I’ve been credited as a game writer for devoting a year and half of my life and created Rivet’s personality out of nothing.”
This speaks to a larger issue of game developers 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, even though I dedicated a year and a half of my life to it and created Rivet’s personality from scratch.
-Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs) March 29, 2022
In a thread of Twitter, Maggs details the process of creating the name Rivet. For her, there were three conditions: that the name of the tool or mechanism, that the two-syllable name evoke familiarity, and that ideally end with a loud sound.
This led Maggs to create a list of names, which included possibilities such as Hammer, Socket, and Gadget. In the end, the team was called “Rivet”, a name that was later attributed to programmer David Kim.
“I just want to emphasize that none of this works without the team. […] That’s why so many things get cut out of the conversation. Because it’s a team effort, but at the end of the day, as the narrator, coming up with a name was my job and my responsibility – I’m working on this project specifically to be the voice of the gamers who needed a Rivet in their eyes. ”
That’s why being cut off from the conversation hurts so much. It’s a team effort, but ultimately, as Lead Writer, naming her was my job and my responsibility – and I was brought into this project specifically to be a voice for gamers who needed of a Rivet in their life.
-Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs) March 29, 2022
Maggs also provided additional information, such as that the person was designed to be canonically lesbiandespite the fact that he has no relation in the game.
