Media Molecule co-founder David Smith has announced that he's leaving the studio after nearly 20 years in order to focus on his own personal projects.
In a message on social media, Smith says that while he's "proud" of everything Media Molecule has created, he has been "feeling a growing itch to explore truly wild ideas and make things based on [his] personal whimsy".
He says that while he still "greatly enjoy[s] the creative dynamic of working at Media Molecule", he doesn't have enough time to do so and work on his personal projects "without entirely giving up on pursuing that mythical creature called 'work-life balance'".
Although he's leaving the studio, Smith says he "hope[s] to be involved with Media Molecule in future", and that he wants to "drop in from time to time", praising the "positivity and free exchange of ideas" that he says "remains true to the founding spirit of the company".
It's not clear exactly what personal projects Smith will be working on; whether he intends to start a new studio away from Media Molecule is unclear. We may well learn more about his plans in the coming months.
If you're unfamiliar with Media Molecule, it's...
