J. Todd Coleman, Vice President and Creative Director of KingsIsle Entertainment, announced his departure on his Facebook page earlier today.
Coleman was behind the family-friendly massively multiplayer online game Wizard101 and the upcoming Pirate101. According to Wikipedia, Wizard101, released in 2008, has had a steadily increasing player-base with 20 million reported in July 2011.
Coleman was also a key driving force behind Wolfpack Studio’s pioneering dynamic PvP MMO Shadowbane, which ran from 2003 to 2009.
In his Facebook statement, Coleman wrote;
“I have decided to leave KingsIsle and pursue my own course. This might sound crazy – and, full disclosure, it probably is – but it is something that I have to do… ”
There is no apparent acrimony and he described his time at KingIsle fondly, “What a fantastic experience this has been!… A handful of dreamers got together and turned an unknown start-up into the market leader for family online entertainment… That’s not something you see every day. I am blessed to have been able to play a role, and I know that I am leaving the company in capable hands.”
Coleman did not give many details regarding his future plans, but he evidently has something in the works, “What is next for me? I’m a storyteller, so I will keep doing what I do best – dream up ideas, breathe life into characters, build worlds for you to explore… only next time, I want to do it for myself. I’m an entrepreneur at heart. A new company, a new game, a new story… I’m not ready to say, but when I’ve got something to show, you guys will be the first to know.”
