Confirmed: Stuart Black exits Bodycount team

Codemasters has confirmed to VG247 that swear-meister Stuart Black "has decided to move on" from the Bodycount team.

"Having created a great vision and direction for Bodycount, Stuart has decided to move on after three years with us," said Codemasters Guildford studio manager Adrian Bolton.

"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."

No specific reason was given for the move.

Back to Black

Black became an easily quotable figurehead for the Codemasters shooter thanks to his penchant for swearing like a f**king trooper in interviews related to the game, which was first announced in March.

The developer, who previously worked on Criterion FPS Black, went on a PR assault in the following months, saying the game's exploding crates were "f**king operas", that he wanted to "f**k" realism over fun and that Lady Gaga "blew" his "f**king socks off".

Black claimed Bodycount was to reinvent the genre, extolling the virtues of story in shooting.

Never more.

Sounds like the team's getting on with it, whatever the reason for his leaving. Bodycount is due out for 360 and PS3 early next year.