For several years, Eric was a writer and editor for West End Games' acclaimedStar Wars roleplaying game line. After leaving dice-and-paper gaming behind, he then moved into videogames, an early recruit into Microsoft Game Studios' nascent entertainment licensing apparatus. 

While at Microsoft, Eric wrote and edited in-game dialogue, story bibles, marketing materials, and original fictional content for the web.

Among the titles that Eric helped develop were the smash-hit HALO: Combat Evolved (including editing chores on the first three HALO novels for Ballantine / Del Rey, as well as penning The Art of HALO, also for Del Rey); Crimson Skies (creating a strongly immersive in-universe website for the pulpy, two-fisted adventure setting; editing weekly serialized online pulp novellas; and editing and contributing to Del Rey's mass-market paperback fiction anthology based on the setting); MechWarrior 4; and Perfect Dark Zero, acting as a story consultant to the property and helping to develop a fiction publishing program in support of the game.

In addition, Eric has consulted on videogame properties for EPIC (drafting a story bible for the Gears of War franchise), story development for Radical Entertainment, and delivering talks on the craft of writing in games to various publishers (notably, Blizzard Entertainment).

After leaving Microsoft, Eric wrote a six-issue miniseries for Perfect Dark (titledPerfect Dark: Janus' Tears), published by Prima Games, as well as editing and lettering an original graphic novel prequel to the hyper-violent videogame Army of Two, titled Army of Two: Dirty Money (written by John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Brandon McKinney).

While developing Perfect Dark Zero's novel program, he edited Perfect Dark: Initial Vector and Perfect Dark: Second Front, scribed by Greg Rucka (and published by TOR). The collaboration proved fruitful, and Eric was later invited to write a fill-in issue of Greg's DC Comics superhero/espionage title, Checkmate (which led to a half-year stint as co-writer on the title, ending his run with issue #25). 

Checkmate led to several other DC Comics projects (as both writer or co-writer), including Final Crisis: Resist, JSA Vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith, The Shield, Mighty Crusaders, Adventure Comics and others. 

In 2010, Eric took over as series writer of classic sword-and-sorcery title, Red Sonja, for Dynamite Entertainment. He wrote 25 consecutive issues of the series, the longest solo tenure of any writer in the property's history. 

In November 2010, Eric's debut issue of a revitalized Vampirella (also published by Dynamite Entertainment) was released to widespread critical praise and excellent sales (Vampirella #1 was the best selling non-premier publisher title for Diamond Comics Distribution in the month of its release). 

On November 30, 2011, Eric once again launched a major title for Dynamite Entertainment: a new Flash Gordon comic series developed with legendary artist Alex Ross and drawn by Daniel Indro.  

A long-awaited original graphic novel, Shooters, was released by DC/Vertigo on April 18, 2012. Written by Eric and frequent collaborator Brandon Jerwa, and illustrated by Eisner Award winner Steve Lieber (of Whiteout and Road to Perdition: Sanctuary fame), Shooters is a contemporary military drama following a soldier's exit from the Army and entry into the world of the private military contractor.  The following April, Shooters won a PRISM award for its accurate portrayal of PTSD. 

At Emerald City Comicon 2013 in Seattle, WA, Trautmann and Jerwa launched their first creator-owner digital comic, Frost: Rogue State, published by Monkeybrain Comics via the ComiXology platform. Frost returns them to the genre of military fiction, this time an action-thriller. The series is currently on hiatus, but is planned to return in 2014.

In August, 2013, Eric wrote a five-issue miniseries, featuring Lady Rawhide. Created in the 1990s by Don McGregor and Mike Mayhew, Lady Rawhide is set in the "Zorro" universe. The miniseries, Lady Rawhide: Sisters of the White Rose is now available in paperback. 

Recently, he contributed to The Old Guard: Tales Through Time, an anthology series spinning off from The Old Guard (the source material for the acclaimed Netflix film starring Charlize Theron). Currently, Eric is co-writing (with longtime pal and collaborator Greg Rucka) a science fiction series to be announced sometime in 2022.

In addition to writing comics, Eric is a graphic designer and marketing consultant, through his Fedora Monkey Studio, which offers (among other services) logo and branding design, intellectual property development, and viral marketing (such as the infamous "Montoya Journal" to promote the DC Comics' series The Question: The Five Books of Blood). 

Currently, Fedora Monkey Studio provides story development consultation as well as layout and design work for Image Comics' Eisner-nominated dystopian science fiction series, Lazarus and Lazarus: Risen (created by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark). In addition, Eric is the series book/logo designer for Black Magick, The Old Guard and spinoff series, The Old Guard: Tales Through Time; and Compass; all from Image Comics. 

Fedora Monkey Studio provided the brand refresh/redesign for Mark Rahner's acclaimed political/conspiracy/zombie western comics series, Rotten, creating a new logo and trade dress as well as a general redesign of the comics series for release as digital "trade paperbacks" via ComiXology.