Guerrilla Games’ co-studio head and director, Angie Smets, has been promoted to Head of Development Strategy at PlayStation Studios.
The news was announced via Smets’ official LinkedIn account as well as via a blog post on the website of Guerrilla Games just now. After 20 years at Amsterdam-based studio Guerrilla Games, Angie Smets will be taking on the new position at the gaming division of Sony Interactive Entertainment. According to Smeets, in her new role, she will still be based in Amsterdam, where she will be watching Guerilla’s future. Before becoming Guerrilla Games in 2003, Smets worked as a designer at Lost Boys. After being renamed Guerrilla Games, Smets took on the role of Executive Producer at the studio – a position she fulfilled through November 2019. In late 2019, Smets was appointed Studio Director and Executive Producer. During her time at the now Sony-owned studio, Smets worked on numerous AAA titles, including the Killzone series, and later on, the Horizon series.
“These past two decades at Guerrilla have been an absolute dream”, the freshly-appointed Head of Development Strategy writes on her LinkedIn feed. “I feel privileged to have worked alongside some of the smartest and coolest people in the industry. I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned alongside all the other Guerrillas. We have accomplished so much as a team, and I’m incredibly proud of all the games we’ve shipped together.”
Following the departure of Smets, Joel Eschler and Hella Schmidt will be joining Guerrilla’s management team alongside studio director and art director Jan-Bart van Beek.
Smets added, “Thankfully, I won’t be watching Guerrilla’s bright future from too far away, as I’ll still be based here in Amsterdam. And as I start my new adventure, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the incredibly talented teams around the globe that form PlayStation Studios.”
Interestingly enough, in Guerrilla’s official blog post, the studio makes mention of the next Horizon installment featuring Aloy alongside the team’s upcoming online project. “We have full confidence in our new leadership as they steer Guerrilla towards a bright future, expanding the world of Horizon with Aloy’s next adventure and our exciting online project”, the blog post reads. “Michiel van der Leeuw (Technical Director) will be focusing on the future technology and strategy for the Decima engine.”
We wish Smets the best in her new position at PlayStation Studios.
