Brian Horton, director of "Rise of the Tomb Raider," has officially left Crystal Dynamics.
And, just hours after his departure, he joined the team of development studio Infinity Ward, which is set to handle the next installment in the "Call of Duty" franchise.
According to VG247, Horton joined Crystal Dynamics in 2009 and worked as an artist for 2013's "Tomb Raider" game, which serves as the first entry in the reboot series. Then, in 2015, he helmed the game's sequel, "Rise of the Tomb Raider," along with co-director Daniel Neuburger.
After six years working with the studio on various notable games, Horton announced his departure to take on what he describes as a "new adventure."
"It's been a huge honor to be a part of the 'Tomb Raider' franchise and the team at Crystal Dynamics," he said in a statement according to Gamespot. "I've met fans from all over the world, both in person and online, to share in our love for the franchise and Lara Croft."
"As sad as I am to leave the team at Crystal, I'm excited to play they future games as a fan," Horton continued. "Thanks again for the years of support and feedback and I hope to stay in touch with you all online."
Although Horton did not exactly say what his "new adventure" would be, his new employment at Infinity Ward strongly indicates that he might take on the director's chair for the next "Call of Duty" game.
The latest installement from the series, namely "Call of Duty: Black Ops III," came out in 2015 and was developed by Treyarch. But, through publisher Activision's three-year cycle, the development of the next game will be turned over to a different studio.
Since the last game from the series that Infinity Ward produced was 2013's "Call of Duty: Ghosts," the studio will return to create the next one.
It is not yet clear what the next "Call of Duty" game will be about but earlier this month, the studio posted a tweet hinting that the new title might be a sequel to "Ghosts." It could also even be set in space, as suggested by the image the studio posted.
In the tweet, the studio greeted its followers a happy New Year and even included a photo of Mosley, the astronaut from the game. And, going back to studio producer Mar Rubin's comments in 2013, the "Call of Duty" series could get a space-themed entry.
"Everything's on the table," he said according to Express. "When we start a new game every possibility is on the table. If we think that it'd be cool to have a battle over Jupiter, sure. Why not?"
