After a long sabbatical which started on September 1, 2014, Leslie Benzies, the Rockstar North President has resigned. The famous studio employee worked on each Grand Theft Auto installement sicne GTA III and also contributed to projects such as Red Dead Redemption, LA NOIR, and Max Payne 3.
The news comes from Kotaku, who published the following statement; “We can confirm that Leslie Benzies went on sabbatical on September 1, 2014 and has decided not to return to work for the company. We are very grateful for Leslie’s contributions to Rockstar over the last 15 years as we worked together to make some amazing games,” the statement says. “Leslie helped us build an incredible team that will continue to create great experiences for our fans. Leslie will always be a friend to the company and of course we are going to miss him but we wish him the absolute best for the future.”
Benzies is often cited as a key compoent of the Rockstar team and one of the many reasons why GTA III was a success. He received the BAFTA Special Award for Games for their contribution to the videogame industry in 2005.
It is not known what Leslie Benzies plans to do next, but we can surely expect big things from such a giant within the gaming industry.