Playground co-founder’s new studio Lighthouse gets ‘game-changing’ Tencent investment

Lighthouse is led by the Forza Horizon studio’s co-founder Gavin Raeburn

Recently launched UK studio Lighthouse Games has received a “game-changing” investment from Chinese gaming giant Tencent.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the new Leamington Spa-based studio has secured an unspecified investment from the tech firm, which it says will help it become one of the largest AAA game developers in the UK.

Lighthouse Games was officially unveiled in March, and is led by Playground Games co-founder Gavin Raeburn.

Raeburn co-founded Playground Games with Trevor Williams and Ralph Fulton in 2010. The studio would go on to develop all five games in the Forza Horizon series, the first of which was directed by Raeburn.

The team is currently working on an as-yet unannounced triple-A game featuring a brand new IP.

Speaking to GI.biz, Raeburn explained that Lighthouse still has full control over its creative and publishing decisions, and that Tencent’s investment will be used for recruitment and new technology.

“The investment is financial, and we retain control over our game and destiny as a studio, though we are also looking forward to forging strong links with Tencent,” Raeburn told the site.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on building excellent and trusted relationships with the publishers that we work with, and this will continue to be a priority moving forward.

“Our goal is to be the best at everything we do, and Tencent’s investment along with their continued support, will enable us to fulfil that ambition.”

He added: “An investment of this scale allows us to grow our team and prove the vision for our game and remain completely independent, whilst still leveraging the skills and experience of one of the world’s largest video game publishers.

“This new beginning also enables us to build our game from the ground up, with no legacy tech or architecture to work around. The shackles are off. It feels truly liberating.”

Lighthouse Games was the second triple-A studio to be put together by former Playground staff this year.

In January it was announced that some of the key talent behind the Forza Horizon series had left Playground to form a new triple-A development studio called Maverick Games.

Also based in Leamington Spa, Maverick’s founding team is led by former Forza Horizon creative director Mike Brown, who’s serving as its creative director and studio head.