It's hard to resist Southern California's nearly all-year-round perfect weather.
That seems to be one of the reasons why Rise of the Tomb Raider game director Brian Horton has left the franchise for what may be greener pastures.
Rise of the Tomb Raider has sold over 1 million copies so far even though it's only available for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. It was nominated for nine awards including Game of the Year at the upcoming D.I.C.E Awards, too.
It's yet to be released on PC and PlayStation 4 until later this year, but Horton won't be around long enough for that.
"It's been a huge honor to be a part of the Tomb Raider franchise and the team at Crystal Dynamics.... After working on two amazing games, my family and I have decided to return to Southern California and start a new adventure," shares Horton.
As the senior art director who helped bring Lara Croft back to life in the 2013 reboot of the game and as the game director for its latest iteration, Horton can now play Crystal Dynamics' future versions of the game as a regular player just like the rest of the fans of the game. With our without Horton, the franchise will continue on as Crystal Dynamics is also believed to be working on a third Tomb Raider game, nonetheless.
Game developers like Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, Riot Games and Blizzard do call Southern California their home, and according to Horton's updated Linkedin and Twitter profile, it looks like his "new adventure" is taking him over to Infinity Ward's headquarters as the company's newest Studio Art Director.
Moreover, Horton could also be lending a helping hand in creating the next Call of Duty. Taking over the reins from Treyarch and Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward is said to come back to the franchise after their work on 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Horton's portfolio is an expansive one with titles – besides Tomb Raider – such as Silent Hill Homecoming, Marc Ecko's Getting Up, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, Clive Barker's Undying and Medal of Honor. He even worked on cover art for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Star Wars and Batman.
