Long-time Housemarque employee Harry Krueger is leaving the studio.

News that the game director was departing the developer came via its website, in which the company thanked the 14-year vet for his time at the firm. Krueger joined in 2009 as a gameplay programmer having previously spent six months at Japan's Q-Games. Two years later he was promoted to lead programmer, before rising to game director in 2014.

In his time at Housemarque, he was the game director on both Nex Machina and PS5 exclusive Returnal. That's on top of programming work on Outland and Resogun.

"During my 14 years at Housemarque, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work on one dream project after another, and had the privilege of working alongside some truly talented and wonderful people along the way," Krueger said.

"It's been an honour to accompany Housemarque on this journey, witnessing our growth from our smaller arcade-inspired titles to the magnificent heights we reached with Returnal. We really shook the pillars of heaven together, and I will forever be proud of all the amazing things we’ve accomplished as a studio. Departing from Housemarque was a very difficult decision for me, but I’m leaving the company with nothing but deep gratitude for the past, and a glowing optimism for the future - with an exciting new project in the works, a fantastic team that’s stronger than ever, and the continuous support of Sony and Playstation Studios, I know that Housemarque’s brightest chapter has yet to be written."

Housemarque GM and co-founder Ilari Kuittinen added: "Throughout Harry's tenure, we've seen the “death of Arcade”, and also achieved growth milestones we once only dreamed of. Harry's passion and direction have been vital in sculpting our studio's trajectory to the current scale. The rebirth of “Arcade” , defined by Returnal, speaks volumes of his impact and vision, and is a great point for future leaders to take over and keep improving upon."