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Mike Booth leaves Facebook VR to return to game development

The Left 4 Dead creator has stated that he has 'unfinished business' in the traditional gaming space.

TJ Denzer

December 3, 2019 1:20 PM

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A major force is returning to game development. Mike Booth, known for creating Left 4 Dead and aiding in the development of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, has been at Facebook VR as Creative Director for some years now, but he’ll be leaving his position soon. Reportedly, Mike Booth intends to return to traditional game design.

Booth announced his intended exit from Facebook VR on December 3, 2019 via his personal Twitter. The industry veteran claimed that while VR is interesting, he has “unfinished business in the traditional video game space.” To that end, Booth is putting a cap on his four year tenure with Facebook and it would appear he’s aiming to start a new studio. Booth included in his announcement that he was on the lookout for people to work with in game development.

As much as I enjoy VR, I have unfinished business in the traditional video game space. It’s time to get back to it! After four years, I have left Facebook to start something new, and I’m looking for fellow adventurers to discuss ideas with... #gamedev

— Mike Booth (@_MikeBooth) December 3, 2019

Mike Booth’s exit from Facebook VR is a major one. Booth has been a creative force behind projects enjoyed by millions around the world. It would be hard to capture the lightning of Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in a bottle once again, but the claim of “unfinished business” might also mean Booth has some idea of the direction he wants to go with his return to the gaming space.

Outside of Counter-Strike and Left 4 Dead, Booth has had a major hand in the business elsewhere as well. He was with EA for a brief period, helping with Command & Conquer from Yuri’s Revenge to Generals. As a founder of Turtle Rock Studios, he worked with Valve for years before moving on to Blizzard. It was from there that he would eventually move into his recent position as Creative Director of Facebook VR and the Social VR team.

Booth’s official re-entry into the gaming space after nearly half a decade is a notable one to say the least. Whatever Booth is planning, we’ll be waiting with high anticipation for what comes next.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.