Gavin Raeburn, the former studio head and founder of Forza Horizon developer Playground Games, has revealed his new triple-A studio Lighthouse Games, adding one more AAA developer to Leamington Spa’s impressive ranks–and notching another major group departure from his former business.
Initially formed without an announcement in July 2022, Lighthouse Games is already working on its own unannounced IP, and promises to be “defined by the pedigree of its talent and its serious ambition.”
Raeburn’s Lighthouse Games follows in the footsteps of Maverick Games, another studio established by Forza Horizon veterans and led by Mike Brown, Playground’s former creative director, who was joined by five creatives with 50+ years of shared experience with the Horizon series.
Like Maverick, its team boasts a number of industry veterans, including key founding members of Playground Games’ original team, including:
- Director Nick Wheelwright (founder and non-executive director of Playground Games);
- Development director Andy Ward (Playground, Ubisoft);
- Creative director Jon Davis Hunt (Codemasters and Playground);
- Technical art director Pete Ridgway (Codemasters, Rare, King);
- Lead engineer Tom Perry (Rebellion, Playground Games); and
- Principal game designer Ben Thaker-Fell (Codemasters, Playground).
With its depth of experience, Lighthouse hopes to create a studio that “embodies what it means to be at the bleeding edge of video game development,” allowing its team members to create the best work they’ve ever done, and in an environment that prioritizes collaboration.
“I’m delighted that 30 former colleagues and other industry heavyweights have chosen to join me at Lighthouse,” said Raeburn. “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.”
At this point, what remains of Playground Games is uncertain, but given the rampant success of Forza Horizon 5–and with its second and final DLC, Rally Adventure, incoming tomorrow (March 29)–one can only hope that the next generation of designers and developers will step up to fill the gaps left by both Lighthouse and Maverick.