Warner Bros. Games has announced that it has tapped former Santa Monica Studio director, David Hewitt, to lead Middle-earth developer Monolith Productions.
Hewitt will be overseeing Monolith’s development team as it works on AAA projects. He has also been tasked with shaping “the ongoing studio culture,” according to a press release. Reporting to Ben Bell, Vice President of Production at WB Games, Hewitt will work with Monolith’s creative and technical teams to “set studio strategy and execution of the art, engineering, design and production teams.”
“We are thrilled to have David join and lead the talented team at Monolith,” said Bell. “His extensive product development leadership, making amazing games people love to play, is an ideal match with the dynamic team at Monolith. We are going to continue to build upon Monolith’s celebrated heritage by elevating the skilled studio leadership to make their next generation of games.”
“I have been a fan of Monolith for many years due to the long list of great games they have developed, so it is extremely exciting to join this storied team,” said Hewitt. “I’m truly inspired and looking forward to working with this team to focus and build upon on a new vision to make excellent games with the support of Warner Bros.”
Hailing from Australia, Hewitt spent 10 years at Santa Monica Studio in various roles. He resigned in August 2021, after having served three years as Director of Product Development.
Monolith hasn’t released a new game since Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which launched five years ago.
