Ever since we first caught site of her, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's new female protagonist has been one of the most talked about characters in gaming. For months, we didn't even know her name, although that has since been revealed to be Rivet, with Jennifer Hale providing her voice. At a recent preview event of the game though, I found out another interesting revelation - Rivet is Ratchet. Kind of.

Because the game plays with alternate dimensions, a lot of classic characters are set to reappear in Rivet's universe, reinvented. Skidd McMarx and Rusty Pete both make their returns too, and while they don't get the Ratchet-Rivet genderflip, they do have a redesign to both their aesthetics and personalities - according to the team at Insomniac, that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you have a cult character in the Ratchet universe you love, you just might see them again in Rift Apart.

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This confirmation that Ratchet and Rivet are one and the same could either support or disprove the fan theory that Rivet is transgender - this theory owes its roots to the fact that a niche bit of Ratchet & Clank lore states that female lombaxes don't have tails. I asked the game's director, Mike Daly, how this factored into Rivet's design, which you can read all about in our full interview here.

Rivet in the badlands of Rift Apart

Away from that, it's clear that Rivet is essentially Ratchet without Clank. What Ratchet might be like if he had grown up alone - much like Ratchet, Rivet is a lone lombax. When Clank offers the chance to visit the lombax dimension, Ratchet is unsure about it. He has everything he needs in Clank, after all. But Rivet is desperate to see it - to finally find her place in the world. As well as the extra gameplay elements she brings - broken down in our preview - Rivet helps bring a new perspective to the series, and while she might technically be the same character as Ratchet, it's clear she's completely different too.

You'll see how everything shakes out when Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launches on June 11, exclusively for PS5.

Next: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Preview - The New Generation Has Arrived