Crystal Dynamics announced that Brian Horton, former Senior Art Director of the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider and Game Director of its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, would be leaving the company. Horton has stated that he and his family will be moving to southern California to look for “new adventures,” but didn’t give any information other than that, not even if he’s still going to work in the game industry.
There were speculations that he would be moving to a different company, since there’s quite a bit of game developers in the area: Naughty Dog, Blizzard, Infinity Ward, and Riot Games. Today, Horton’s Twitter bio has been changed and mentions that he is now a Studio Art Director for Infinity Ward, the developers behind Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2 and a couple of other entries in the franchise including Call of Duty: Ghosts, the studio’s latest release.
While Horton may have revealed his new position at Infinity Ward, the studio has yet to make an official announcement regarding his employment. There’s also no mention with regards to what game Horton will be working on, but looking at the studio’s legacy and 3-year release cycle (the last being 2013), it’s highly probable that Horton will be working on a Call of Duty title.
Horton has also expressed his sadness in leaving Crystal Dynamics and that it’s been an honor to work with them, stating that he’s looking forward to playing future Tomb Raider titles as a fan.
