Playground Games Co-Founder Leaving Forza Horizon 5 Studio After 12 Years

Studio director and co-founder of Playground Games, Gavin Raeburn, has revealed that he’s leaving the company. 

First reported by Windows Central, he has revealed that after co-founding and working at Playground for 12 years, he’s retiring from the racetrack. This announcement comes just two months after Forza Horizon 5 was released, which had been the best-selling title in the Playground series. 

“After 12 years working on five award-winning Forza Horizon games, Gavin Raeburn is leaving Playground Games as studio director,” Turn 10 Studio Head and Forza franchise lead Alan Hartman told Windows Central. “A founding member of Playground Games, we thank Gav for his leadership and contributions to the Forza franchise and wish him all the best.” 

Hartman announced that Trevor Williams (playground founder) will be moving from the General Manager position to Studio Head immediately. He replaces Raeburn. He also said the studio will continue to focus on updates to Forza Horizon 5 and the ongoing development of its Fable reboot, which was officially announced in 2020. 

As stated by Windows Central, Raeburn has quite the history in the racing genre, having worked on Codemasters’ TOCA series, Dirt, and Grid. In 2009, he left Codemasters to start Playground Games. Microsoft acquired Playground Games in 2018. 

There’s no word on what’s next for Raeburn or if he’s even staying in games. 

Forza Horizon 5 is more than just a game. Check out our opinions in Game Informer’s Forza Horizon 5 review, and then read about why it’s on Game Informer’s Top 10 Xbox Series X games list. This new Xbox-OPI collaboration unlocks an exclusive Forza Horizon 5 car wrap. 

[Source: Windows Central]

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