Stuart Black to leave Codies in Oct

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 19 July, 2010

Bodycount executive producer already gone.

Stuart Black, the outspoken creator of cult first-person shooter Black, will leave British publisher Codemasters in October, Eurogamer can exclusively reveal.

Black is the creative director of FPS Bodycount, due out for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the first quarter of 2011.

The game's executive producer Tom Gillo has already left, but has been replaced with a project development director.

While Black is yet to offer any explanation for his departure, Eurogamer understands his decision is the result of "post-E3 fallout".

Senior producer Andy Wilson will take up the "show and tell" demos while Black focuses on completing his design responsibilities.

Bodycount is considered the spiritual successor to 2006's Black, which Black co-created and designed while at EA developer Criterion.

Set in the present day, Bodycount follows the story of a no-questions-asked task force ordered to kill "Targets" on behalf of a "Network". Destructible cover will feature, as will online multiplayer and co-op.

Underneath Bodycount lies Codemasters EGO engine, which has been used to good effect in DiRT 2 and the well-received Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

Eurogamer only went hands-on with the game last month.

"He’s [Black] got all his design work to do but he's going to finish before he leaves the team to complete the game, which takes him through to October," Codemasters told Eurogamer this morning.

Codemasters issued Eurogamer with this official statement from Adrian Bolton, studio manager at Codemasters Studios Guildford: "Having created a great vision and direction for Bodycount, Stuart has decided to move on after three years with us. He will see out his design role until October and, through the transition period, will continue to work with the talented development team that will take the game through to completion."

Codemasters told Eurogamer this morning that the staff changes will not impact upon Bodycount or its release date, and "progress continues". "There is a full studio. There is an 80-strong team there." The official Bodycount site was recently updated with a "peek" at the main character model.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • tachometer #1 2 years ago

    Sounds ominous!

  • cianchristopher #2 2 years ago

    Nice, I guess we can discard Bodycount from our "games to look out for in 2010" list then.

    To be fair, the game looks particularly shit!

  • richarddavies #3 2 years ago

    This is currently world record holder for most uses of the word Black in one article.
    Edited by 2 at 19/07/10 @ 12:14

  • Dark_Era #4 2 years ago

    Wow, didn't see that one coming

  • rojjer #5 2 years ago

    Good. Because Body Count looks and feels nothing like the excellent Black, was horrified when I saw the videos - pure arcade crapola (plus I've already got a personal ban on buying codies FPS games after the screwup that was Dragon Rising).

  • actionfitz #6 2 years ago

    "well-received Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising"

    huh?
    that's not what I heard/read.

  • CatWeazle #7 2 years ago

    did he actually name the game after himself, or is that just a coincidence?

  • Doctor_What #8 2 years ago

    Hm. That doesn't bode of a happy team, does it? What lead leaves when their game is a few months from release unless there's a serious problem?

  • dsmx #9 2 years ago

    I liked black, I finished Black with 100% completion, I loved almost every second of it, black ops difficulty was brutal but fair except for the very last bit which was insanely difficult if you did what you were supposed to do. (What you did instead was hide in the tunnel bit before and kill them all from there without passing through the door.)

  • justice-ste #10 2 years ago

    Black on Black...

    Just sayin'

  • green_nifta #11 2 years ago

    Didn't he leave Creative Assembly part way through Viking's development too?

  • insincere_dave #12 2 years ago

    As my grandfather always used to say, never trust a black.

  • kangarootoo #13 2 years ago

    @green_nifta

    I found a Guardian interview with him, in which he says the following.

    "I didn't stay around for production because I didn't think there was a real commitment for Triple A on that product, and if there's one thing I was very clear on, particularly after having just made Black, was that I'm not going to waste my time on something that I don't believe is going to be great"

    My cynical mind translates "real commitment" as "doing what I say".

    Never met the man, but there is the scent of "creative differences" about this one, and that Guardin interview just doesn't scan quite right. Especially when I get to this line, referring to Black (what I consider personally to be hugely over-rated) "I don't want to be bigheaded, but I knew that no one else is going to deliver that kind of shooting experience".


    Full interview here. Lots of gems in it ;)
    http://ww w.guardian.co.uk/technology/gam...

  • photoboy #14 2 years ago

    It's Codemasters, is this surprising? They've been shit for years.

  • NGCes26294BIV #15 2 years ago

    This is the second company in a row that Black has left part way through development.

    Something tells me its the man, and not, 'the man' who's the problem here. He sounds very controlling, but not very committed.

    Perhaps now Codies can turn the project around and make it something more than a Lady Gaga fest. If the release slips, I'll keep an eye on this. A tentative eye, to be sure, but an eye nonetheless.

  • Chazmeister #16 2 years ago

    @ rojjer

    Same here, I'm not buying any more Codies games either after being burnt by OFP: Dragon Rising.

  • NGCes26294BIV #17 2 years ago

    "Same here, I'm not buying any more Codies games either after being burnt by OFP: Dragon Rising."

    YAWN...

    Play another record, please.

  • Ziggy_badMonkey #18 2 years ago

    A few inconsistencies in the story :)
    Tom Gillo had nothing to do with Black and comes from Sony.
    Stuart did in fact leave a month or so into Black 2's development after making absurd demands from management regarding money and his role on Black 2.
    And yes I believe he left his role at CA as well before completing the title.
    Does not look good on your cv !
    Perhaps he's been hired by Lady Gaga's publicist ??

  • sonicyoda #19 2 years ago

    Once you go Black you're going to need a wheelchair.

  • BillyBrush #20 2 years ago

    I overheard him on the train this morning, so have the inside scoop.

    Apparently he was discussing his thoughts on game design with the Codies CEO, explaining that if game development isn't rough it isn't fun.

    He then suggested that Bodycount should really be a love game, where players had a moral choice to make between love, or fame...in the game

    And then asked for a raise, saying that he'd take a ride on the CEO's disco stick if he would oblige.

    But they refused, and sacked him on the grounds that he was 'bluffing with his muffin'

    And there you go...it'll never be oficially out there of course.

  • bodypopper #21 2 years ago

    So basically the E3 reception was generally poor, Black refused to make changes and has gone off in a huff?
    If that's the case, based on what was shown at E3, Bodycount can only get better without him.

  • fizzyfish #22 2 years ago

    You could have called him Stuart a bit more often, to avoid the confusion...

  • tobsen #23 2 years ago

    the well-received Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

    Boldest brand of sarcasm I have ever seen in an EG article...

  • zuffler #24 2 years ago

    dont talk a 24 carat game with a 9 carat walk... This industry is full of overblown egos taking credit for things they have nothing to do with. Black was a mediocre game at best - you could destroy the scenery, big fucking deal.. These people sit on their arse all day, blow a load of hot air out of their arse and when you ask them to design a simple combat fighting system or a list of weapons to be used in game they don't have a clue.. Good riddance I say!