Mark Healey, one of the co-founders of Media Molecule, has announced his departure from the company. The former Lionhead Studios employee sent out a goodbye message which was as whimsical and colorful as the games Media Molecule created.Healey's career has been full of legendary games and impressive milestones. At Bullfrog Productions, a precursor to Lionhead, Healey helped create Dungeon Keeper. While working at Lionhead Studios, he also worked on beloved games like Fable and Black & White. During his spare time, Healey created Rag Doll Kung Fu, which was the first third-party game released on Steam in 2005. Media Molecule was founded in 2006 by Mark Healey, along with Alex Evans, Kareem Ettouney, and David Smith. Before the official formation of the company, the team presented an early version of LittleBigPlanet to Sony and secured funding for it. Thanks to this, LittleBigPlanet was released in 2008 to universal acclaim and Media Molecule won Studio of the Year the same year at the Spike Video Game Awards. Two years later, Sony acquired Media Molecule for an unknown sum.On April 17, Mark Healey announced his retirement from Media Molecule on Twitter. The post contained a collage of photos, featuring milestones and memorable team moments, as well as heartfelt goodbyes. Healey highlighted that the company was founded 17 years ago and today will be his last day. He assured people that while he wishes for a change, he will still be making video games. Although based on his announcement, it doesn't seem to be set in stone what form that may take. Healey also mentioned LittleBigPlanet and Dreams, both games he helped create under the company and both have enjoyed a positive welcome from both critics and gamers.
Under the original post, many colleagues and fans have offered an outpouring of love and support. Many mentioned how these games inspired them and got younger generations into gaming. There were even those who called Healey's departure an "end of an era," and expressed sadness at the news, yet wished the best of luck for the new journey. A lot of fans mentioned Healey's work at Lionhead Studios as a highlight.
It's impossible to find even one negative comment under the original post, which shows how Mark Healey's body of work has touched so many people throughout the years. Considering all his previous successes, fans will likely be interested to see what kind of projects he'll create next.
