Today, we saw the news of a new AAA studio coming into the fray. This new development studio was founded by the co-founder of Playground Games, Gavin Raeburn. The studio, dubbed Lighthouse Games, will have talent coming from some of the key founders of Playground games’ original team as well as other industry-leading talents. The studio is already working on a new project and will be based in Leamington Spa in the United Kingdom.
For those who don’t know, Playground Games is the studio responsible for creating Forza Horizon. The co-founder, Gaving Raeburn, helped form Playground in 2010 and has since helped establish Forza Horizon as a powerful entry in the series, making it one of Microsoft’s best-sellers. Now, he’s off to create a new AAA studio with Lighthouse Games, allowing him to start things off from a blank slate and move into the future.
Lighthouse Games will currently start as a team of 30, comprised of both former colleagues from Playground as well as other experienced developers from the industry. The AAA studio is already working on a new project which is currently unannounced. Raeburn had to say the following regarding this new venture:
I’m delighted that 30 former colleagues and other industry heavyweights have chosen to join me at Lighthouse. With Horizon, Playground and I created one of the most successful Xbox franchises of all time. We delivered significant commercial success year after year, to massive critical acclaim, following the success from my time at Codemasters leading Dirt, Grid and F1. That DNA is now at Lighthouse, and with it, we intend to build something truly special using all our experience to create a new genre-defining franchise.
Lighthouse’s current ambition is to create a studio that embodies what it means to be at the bleeding edge of video game development. This, in turn, will allow the creatives working in Lighthouse Games to make a studio that enables developers to create the best work of their career and become part of the Triple-A innovation forefront. Currently, the studio recruits game industry talent at every level across all disciplines.
Lighthouse Games’ establishment also works as a way to work with a publisher that has a long-term vision for the games market. In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Raeburn talked about how Lighthouse wants to work with a publisher who is not looking for a quick return and wants to share the passion for games that they do, adding that he is very aware of the constantly turning tides in innovation, consumer tastes, and shifts in technology that’s commonplace in the gaming industry.
For now, we’ll keep an eye on Lighthouse Games and give you more details on this new project they are working on as they come. So, make sure to stay tuned.
