Square Enix's Karl Stewart moves on to Petrol Agency

Karl Stewart, an eight year veteran of Square Enix, has announced that he's leaving the publisher to join advertising agency Petrol. Stewart has most recently held the position of VP of strategic marketing for Europe and North America.

Announcing the move on his blog, Stewart spoke about the honour of working on some of the publisher's key projects during his time there.

"During these eight years I have had the most unbelievable journey, I've worked with some of the most talented and amazing people in the world and I had the opportunity to be a part of some of the most iconic and beloved franchises in the world of video games. I have worked for Eidos Interactive (SCI), Crystal Dynamic and most recently Square Enix, holding no less than four amazing positions, including Creative Director, Marketing Director and Brand Director. During this time I have worked on over 25+ games, and with a dozen or so amazing studios including IO Interactive on Hitman and Kane and Lynch, to Eidos Montreal on Thief and Deus Ex, to Rocksteady on Batman Arkham Asylum.

"But by far, the crowning glory of my time at Square Enix has been working at Crystal Dynamics and being a big part of rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise. The opportunity to be a part of something as special as that game and around so many talented colleagues in Crystal Dynamics is something that I will remember for the rest of my career. A large part of my life went into that reboot and I thoroughly believe that Crystal Dynamics has created one of the most memorable, if not the biggest, reboot in video game history. If you haven't already, download The Final Hours of Tomb Raider on the app store to see just how hard the team worked to make this reboot happen. It really was an amazing journey, one which is only just beginning for the team."

The Petrol agency has worked closely on campaigns with Square-Enix over recent years and their work has impressed Stewart, prompting him to join.

For the last eight years I have worked with Alan and Ben at Petrol on many different projects, from Batman to Tomb Raider to Thief, and on every occasion they've blown me away with their vision and creativity. So when the conversation started about joining the company which they've both worked extremely hard to develop and grow, there was no doubt in my mind this was the right next step for me, as they both think the same way I do. I'm all about experiences, and this is the new experience I'm looking for right now."