The developer of the extremely popular Forza Horizon series has just lost one of its co-founders. Announced by Microsoft, Gavin Raeburn, the co-founder and studio director of Playground Games has stepped down from his position and departed the company. His position will be filled by fellow co-founder Trevor Williams, which will also take effect right away. In a statement, Microsoft wished Raeburn the best for all his future endeavors. “After 12 years working on five award-winning Forza Horizon games, Gavin Raeburn is leaving Playground Games as Studio Director. A founding member of Playground Games, we thank Gav for his leadership and contributions to the Forza franchise and wish him all the best.”
As we already mentioned, Gavin Raeburn and Trevor Williams co-founded the Playground Games in Britain in 2009. Prior to this, Raeburn worked for several years at Codemasters on their famous Dirt racing franchise. He took his experience and together with Williams formed the core of what would become a long partnership. The studio’s main purpose was to create a spinoff series for Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport series, which was Microsoft’s signature racing simulator. After five entries that spanned three different Xbox systems, Playground had fully established themselves within the industry and created an alternative for those who just wanted to drive around and have fun.
Playground Games is currently riding high off the massive success of their most recent title, Forza Horizon 5. The game was a critical hit, with us as well, and lauded as one of the greatest open-world driving simulators in recent memory. No specific reason was given as to why Raeburn left his position and departed the company, but it is very intriguing especially since Playground Games has since become one of the defining developers in the Xbox Games Studios umbrella. It’s possible that he has another new venture in his path, but for the time being it’s anyone’s guess. Either way, he’s made his mark on the video game community.