NaturalMotion scoops Crytek art director

The senior art chief at Crytek has left the group to join NaturalMotion in the UK.

Frank Kitson, who’s led teams and divisions at the likes of Sony UK and EA, has been appointed by NaturalMotion as art director, Develop can reveal.

NaturalMotion CEO Torsten Reil said he was “delighted” to have sealed Kitson’s contract.

“Kitson’s experience on working on some of the most visually stunning console games, such as Crysis 2, is going to prove invaluable for our upcoming product roadmap on iOS and Android,” Reil told Develop.

Kitson joins NaturalMotion in a period of transition for the Backbreaker studio.

NaturalMotion, initially an Oxford University spin-off, broke onto the scene with its landmark Euphoria engine, but mobile entertainment appears to be shaping its future.

With tablets and smartphones gaining ground on console performance, NaturalMotion believes there is huge opportunity to lead the way in production quality on these handheld devices.

Hiring Kitson, the firm hopes, will help demonstrate the mobile technologies it is working on.

“We believe now is the time to bring together the best people in the industry and revolutionise the interactive experiences for mainstream audiences,” Reil said.

Prior to his three years at Crytek, Kitson worked as art director at Sony London to pilot the visuals on Eight Days.

In 2000 he was hired by EA to work on projects such as Harry Potter, Battlefield and Black.

Frank Kitson, Art Director, NaturalMotion Games
“I am thrilled to be joining NaturalMotion at such an exciting time in the industry. Being able to bring high-end visuals and production quality to huge audiences is an amazing opportunity, and I am incredibly excited by our roadmap of upcoming games.“