Independent game studio Certain Affinity has spent years as a co-developer working on some of gaming's biggest franchises, whether that's teaming with Activision to work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered or assisting Wargaming with seasonal events for World of Tanks. Today, the studio announced that it will be bringing aboard an industry veteran to lead its Toronto branch, revealing that it has enlisted the talents of Dan Ayoub.
Best known for his former position as external studio head of Halo developer 343 Industries, Ayoub has years of experience working for several significant gaming names, including Ubisoft and EA. He'll be Certain Affinity's new VP of Canadian operations and the general manager of its Toronto location, as well as "overseeing Business Development and Marketing/ PR functions."
According to a statement over on Certain Affinity's website, the studio has long had a working relationship with Ayoub, who was allegedly its "main point of contact" with 343 Industries when the two companies collaborated on the Halo franchise. The studio notes that he'll be an asset to the team, bringing over 20 years of experience from several different areas of the tech industry. Most recently, he was working alongside Microsoft as its director of education, remaining in the role for almost four years.
Ayoub will join over 250 employees already working with the studio across both its Toronto and Austin locations, seeing him inevitably get stuck into some huge franchises. Certain Affinity has co-developed plenty of well-known games over the years, including Doom, Mafia 3, Crackdown 3, and Left 4 Dead. The independent studio only seems to be growing, and with a developer like Ayoub now on board, it seems it will welcome many more games into that expanding portfolio.
One upcoming release that Ayoub will likely be working on is Halo Infinite, with Certain Affinity announcing last August that it was collaborating with 343 Industries on the sci-fi shooter. It's still not clear what Certain Affinity's role in Halo Infinite's development is, although the studio has worked extensively on the franchise before, first teaming with Microsoft to work on Halo back in 2007.
Alongside working on Infinite, Certain Affinity is also developing an original game. It will be the team's first new IP since Crimson Alliance hit Xbox Live Arcade back in 2011, so it's sure to be a significant deal for the studio. In preparation for the upcoming title, it's currently hiring talent to join the team, including artists, designers, and programmers spread across both of its locations.
Source: Certain Affinity (Dan Ayoub Statement), Certain Affinity (Working on Halo Infinite)