Media Molecule co-founder and creative director Mark Healey has announced that he is leaving the studio after 17 years.
Healey shared the news on Twitter in a thread reflecting on his time at the studio while also hinting about his future. He explained that he is "proud to have played his part" in the company but is ready to "chart a new course" within the games industry.
"After seventeen incredible years of co-birthing and building Media Molecule - I have decided it is time for me to fly the nest - set sail and chart a new course - today is my last day at MM," he shared.
"From LittleBigPlanet to Dreams and beyond - proud to have played my part and lucky to have jammed with some truly brilliant people - and such a wonderfully talented Community, which I will continue to be a fan of, but a strong cosmic breeze is pulling me and my pirate heart is awakened, I'm not getting any younger so am going to indulge myself in the winds of my various curiosities for a while and see where they take me.
"So here's to new beginnings, following one's heart and exploring the unknown," he added in conclusion. "I'm off on a Pirate adventure! (One that involves making games that is)."
Healey co-founded Media Molecule in 2006 alongside Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney. During his tenure, Healey served as a creative director on both LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2, as well as 2020's playful sandbox game Dreams.
Just last week, Media Molecule announced that it will be ending live support for Dreams this September, meaning that no more updates will be provided for the game and many community events will come to a close, as the studio shifts its focus to "an exciting new project."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.