Why I Am Leaving the Most Hilarious Team I’ve Ever Worked With

When I first started Squanch with Justin Roiland, he told me about this crazy game idea that he had. It starred a character named Trover, and I remember his excitement when he described it. “Eyehole monsters” that stuffed cute little characters into their eyes. He had thought deeply about how the game could be amazing in VR, from the way the player moved to the types of narrative encounters the player could have. He thought about characterization, and the roles they play in a game different than anyone I’d met in the industry. I remember thinking “a game has never done something like that”, and wanting to be a part of creating his vision. It was then that I decided that I wanted to build Squanch alongside him.

Since then, it has been my sole purpose to build that; a company that defaults to saying “yes, and...” to new ideas; a company that brings Justin’s crazy, comedic ideas to life; and a company that is willing to do what others have not. Through Accounting, Dr. Splorchy, Trover Saves the Universe, and future exciting partnerships, I can safely say that we’ve turned the corner from a fledgling startup to a sustaining business that is ready for its next direction.

Yes, the studio has had its challenges, and those challenges will not go away. It’s always difficult to do something that no one else is doing, pandemic or no. But I can safely say that we are not just surviving, we are thriving. We, amongst all businesses, were extremely concerned at the beginning of the pandemic, but one good thing that came out of 2020 is that it has proven to be Squanch Games’ most successful year to date. Perhaps comedy is just what we all need right now, and if the studio sticks to the vision of what makes it great, the future possibilities are endless.

So it is this inflection point that I've decided it's the ideal time for me to step away from Squanch. While I will continue to stay close to the studio as a friend and advisor, I’m ready to figure out what’s next. Building Squanch was an incredible experience, and has inspired me to continue down that path. I’m not sure what that will be just yet, but I’m excited to apply what I've learned as Squanch’s CEO toward making something great.

There are often startup CEOs and sustaining CEOs, and that baton is ready to be handed off. I feel good about it because we have great people in place to hand it off to. You already know Justin Roiland, and beginning February, 2021, he will transition from the studio’s Chief Creative Officer to CEO, where he’ll be the champion, primary visionary, soul, and voice of Squanch. And I have the utmost faith that he will continue to guide this studio to success.