The "Thief" series had been planned as a trilogy, and work on "Thief III" was "in a fairly advanced stage" when Looking Glass closed, according to "PC Zone"s Keith Pullin. Randy Smith and Terri Brosius were appointed as lead designers, and they developed the game's concept over several months. In an open letter published after the company's bankruptcy, Smith wrote that the third game would have taken place in an "open-ended, self-directed city", and that its plot would have centered on the Keepers. Brosius suggested that "Thief III" would have seen Garrett "accept that there are consequences to his actions", and that he would likely have become "ready to give, rather than always take." The player would have uncovered the game's story gradually, while exploring a free-roam environment. Serious plans had been made to include co-operative multiplayer, and a new engine, Siege, had been in production. When Looking Glass closed, its assets were liquidated and the "Thief" intellectual property was sold at auction. This raised doubts that the "Thief" trilogy would be completed, a situation that Salon.com writer Wagner James Au compared to Lucasfilm closing after the release of "The Empire Strikes Back". However, following rumors, Eidos announced on August 9, 2000 that it had purchased the rights to "Thief".