Bolton quits Codemasters

Adrian Bolton, the general manager of Codemasters’ Guildford studio, is said to have unexpectedly left the company.

His departure follows the recent and sudden exodus of lead developer Stuart Black – who had been working hard, some say far too hard, on the upcoming FPS Bodycount.

Bolton (pictured, left) was hired to form Codemasters Guildford having left a development director role at Criterion.

Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens confirmed the news to Eurogamer, while also revealing that Bodycount has been delayed by several months.

“The remit within Codemasters is not to compromise the quality of any content we publish. We’re not prepared to compromise the game,” he said.

Cousens appeared to suggest that both Black and Bolton’s departures do not signify an air of unrest at the UK studio.

“People have a habit of reading into it, and two plus two becomes five, but we plan to publish the game in early summer next year and we’re not being any more specific than that because we’re not prepared to compromise on the quality," he said.

“Much as bloggers may want to paint the picture fuelled by injured parties, I can tell you companies don’t operate like that.”