Today, Guerrilla Games announced the departure of Angie Smets, the Studio Director and Executive Producer at the studio for almost 20 years. Smets will be leaving Guerrilla for PlayStation Studios as the Head of Development Strategy at PlayStation Studios. In the official announcement, Guerrilla also quietly confirmed that the next mainline Horizon game is in development.
Guerrilla studio management said: “We are all so grateful for the leadership Angie has provided for Guerrilla and wish her all the best in her new adventure! In terms of new structure, Guerrilla is happy to announce that our management team now consists of Joel Eschler (Studio Director and Production Director) and Hella Schmidt (Studio Director and General Manager), alongside Jan-Bart van Beek (Studio Director and Art Director). We have full confidence in our new leadership as they steer Guerrilla towards a bright future, expanding the world of Horizon with Aloy’s next adventure and our exciting online project. Michiel van der Leeuw (Technical Director) will be focusing on the future technology and strategy for the Decima engine.”
“These past two decades at Guerrilla have been an absolute dream. I feel privileged to have worked alongside some of the smartest and coolest people in the industry. I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned alongside all the other Guerrillas,” Smets said. “We have accomplished so much as a team, and I’m incredibly proud of all the games we’ve shipped together. A special shoutout to Jan-Bart van Beek and Michiel van der Leeuw. It feels like just yesterday that we were figuring out how to make and ship the first Killzone. Little did we know that we would eventually lead Guerrilla together. You’ve become like brothers to me, and there’s no way to thank you enough. I will miss you dearly.”
The next mainline Horizon game is not the only game in the franchise that is reportedly in development. There is also a multiplayer, MMORPG, and possible remake of Horizon Zero Dawn in development.