Returnal director Harry Krueger to leave Housemarque

Returnal and Nex Machina director Harry Krueger will leave Housemarque after 14 years, the studio announced.

“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 in the announcement. “It’s been an honor 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.”

Kreuger continued, “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 general manager 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.”

Housemarque said it is gearing up for a “new big project” and “promising future ahead” as “the growing team will take forward to build the next best thing from Finland.”