Codemasters Guildford loses general manager
Former Criterion exec Adrian Bolton is latest to leave troubled studio
General manager Adrian Bolton has parted ways with developer Codemasters Guildford, not long after the unexpected exit of creative director Stuart Black.
The studio is working on shooter Bodycount, billed as a spiritual sequel to EA's Black, which now sees its release slip from Spring to Summer 2011.
Bolton was formerly development director at Criterion.
Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens claimed to Eurogamer that there was no need for alarm. "He's left, but I don't think the company centres around one person. If I left I don't think the company falls over.
"Someone will fill the void. I don't see it as any threat to either the well-being of the product, the well-being of the studio or the well-being of the company.
"Much as bloggers may want to paint the picture fuelled by injured parties, I can tell you companies don't operate like that."
While Cousens did not give concrete reasons for Bolton and Black's departures, he said of Bodycount that "We weren't satisfied with where it was. We did make changes, and we're making changes because we're not prepared to compromise our DNA. That's the hard facts of life."
70 to 80 people continue to work on Bodycount, he claimed.