Lighthouse Games is the new studio from Forza Horizon’s co-creator

[Pfei]

“Using our knowledge and expertise we will create a new, genre-defining franchise."

Lighthouse Games is the new studio from Forza Horizon's co-creator

The new Warwickshire AAA game studio has become the second to be founded by former Playground Games and Forza Horizon developers this year.

traxion.gg

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Competition is getting thick. Hopefully we'll get some good games out of it. I think it also demonstrates some kind of lack of fulfillment or creative stagnation over at playground that this many people would be jumping ship, though that is purely speculation on my part.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

The article didn't mention this, but Gavin Raeburn (head of this new studio) was the one of the driving force behind Codemaster's pivot to racing game studio. He's directed and produced TOCA Race Driver and Colin McRae Rally series from the beginning up to Race Driver: Grid and Colin McRae: Dirt. Not to mention Forza Horizon series (although credit says he acted mostly as studio head, rather than producer or director anything).

Ralph Fulton, who I believe is co-founder of Playground Games along with Gavin, was design head of most of those games during his tenure in Codies. He's still working as creative director of PG as far as I know.

Anyhow I'll be keeping an eye on Lighthouse Games for sure, excited to see what he cooks up.

 

[Fezzik]

Forza Horizon co-creator’s new AAA driving game is “in a league of its own”

Gavin Raeburn on why he left Playground Games to create a new AAA driving game at his new studio, Lighthouse Games: “I didn’t leave Playground to build another Horizon.”

traxion.gg

 

[EngieDiesel]

Best of luck to them. With the latest string of high profile failures across the gaming industry by people who were (or at least claimed to be) the driving force behind some of the most recognizable franchises out there, simply being a big name from a big studio doesn't carry as much weight as it used to anymore.

Also:

Conversely, the studio’s unannounced driving game is a large-scale, AAA project, backed by significant investment from China’s Tencent.

So Unreal Engine 5 basically confirmed then, since Tencent has a sizeable stake in Epic Games. That takes some shine off the paint for me, knowing how rubbish UE physics are. But hey, other people have managed to beat that engine into something respectable, so maybe they've got it figured out.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Best of luck to them. With the latest string of high profile failures across the gaming industry by people who were (or at least claimed to be) the driving force behind some of the most recognizable franchises out there, simply being a big name from a big studio doesn't carry as much weight as it used to anymore.

Also:



So Unreal Engine 5 basically confirmed then, since Tencent has a sizeable stake in Epic Games. That takes some shine off the paint for me, knowing how rubbish UE physics are. But hey, other people have managed to beat that engine into something respectable, so maybe they've got it figured out.

Good thing with Unreal is you can still develop your own physics. Unreal can basically just be used as a pure graphics engine if you want it to be. Much like WRC, ACC.

Forza Horizon co-creator’s new AAA driving game is “in a league of its own”

Gavin Raeburn on why he left Playground Games to create a new AAA driving game at his new studio, Lighthouse Games: “I didn’t leave Playground to build another Horizon.”

traxion.gg

When will developers learn, to not say things like this 😆.

 

[Pearl Jam]

One things for sure, I won’t be preordering 🙈

 

[EngieDiesel]

Good thing with Unreal is you can still develop your own physics. Unreal can basically just be used as a pure graphics engine if you want it to be. Much like WRC, ACC.

Yeah you can, but if Tencent is bankrolling them then I'm presuming they're going to want the devs to be using UE's physics and not someone else's. Plus rolling your own physics engine takes a lot of time, which they probably don't have if they want to get this out in any reasonable timeframe.

When will developers learn, to not say things like this 😆.

Never. It's something history will be doomed to repeat ever since John Romero said this:

Spoiler: Might be considered profanity, not taking chances

 

[Fezzik]

When will developers learn, to not say things like this 😆.

In fairness, he didn't say that.

I’ve said before, we’re not building Horizon. I didn’t leave Playground to build another Horizon. I think Ivory Tower is doing really well with The Crew and catching up. But we’re trying to create something very different that can play in the same league. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s a delight to play our game every day.

The actual quote is not quite as Ian Bell-ish as the article headline.