Riot Games’ Justin Hanson Steps Down From His Post As Principal Designer
Riot Games’ untitled MMO has lost another key developer as Principal Designer Justin “Xenogenic” Hanson announces that he’s parting ways with the company.
“Today is my last day at Riot,” tweeted Xenogenic last Friday. “Emotions are a hell of a thing. Very sad to be leaving, on the one hand, yet excited for a new adventure on the other. The MMO team is absolutely world-class. It's been such an honor to be able to be a part of it.”
Just last month, Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, the executive producer for the unannounced MMO also announced his departure from Riot with a promise that work on the game will continue after he leaves. He’s since founded a new remote development studio that’s working on a brand-new untitled MMO of its own.
Candace Thomas, a former Riot developer and now a game designer for Supercell, offers some insight into why developers often shuffle around between studios. The gist is that it has more to do with achieving career goals and less about bailing from a sinking ship as most people believe.
According to Thomas, Riot hires the “crème de la crème” of the video game industry with the understanding that hiring top talent means they’ll one day leave for bigger opportunities, even riskier ones like starting up their own studio.
“So many people have founded startups after working at Riot,” said Thomas. “This is the natural price you pay for hiring top talent. They know this, and they are super supportive of your growth. This is a natural part of the lifecycle of a game dev. And it’s the cost of hiring the best. No matter how well you pay them, they may just want to try something new.”
Meanwhile, Hanson says that he’s going to be spending the next two weeks mostly playing games which might be a hint that he’ll be starting a new journey after then.
Today is my last day at Riot.
Emotions are a hell of a thing. Very sad to be leaving, on the one hand, yet excited for a new adventure on the other.
The MMO team is absolutely world-class. It's been such an honor to be able to be a part of it.
— Xenogenic (@Xenogenic) April 14, 2023
