February has been a tumultuous month for many big gaming studios lately. Earlier, several Sony Japan Studios employees announced their resignations, and the trend is continuing now. Juro Watari, a developer that previously worked for Sega, announced his resignation from the company effective at the end of February. This news comes as a surprise to many, especially those that were invested in his work on the Cyber Troopers Virtual-On. In addition to announcing his resignation, Watari gives some updates about his future and what will happen to Cyber Troopers Virtual-On after he leaves, although neither of these updates are very specific.
Watari has been with Sega for a long time, and until now there weren't any signs that he'd be leaving. When discussing his future plans, it seems that Wataris himself is unsure of what will come next for him, but he doesn't seem to be leaving the world of game development just yet.
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To start off his statement, Watari thanks Sega for making him feel welcome and for all the time he spent here. From this outward statement, it doesn't seem as though there's any bad blood between the two. He goes on to say that his future plans remain uncertain, but makes it clear that he is looking for a new place to work. He doesn't give any details about why he is making this shift into a new company, but he does explicitly state that his resignation has nothing to do with any kind of issue with or punishment dealt out by Sega.
Later on in his statement, he addresses the future of Cyber Troopers Virtual-On, stating that he unfortunately doesn't know what is in store for the series. Watari says if there is any change at Sega or plans to use the franchise, he looks forward to watching along with the fans what comes of it. This makes it clear that, despite his active role in its development thus far, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is out of Watari's hands now. To close his statement, he says he is unemployed at the moment but will still remain active on Twitter.
For those interested, the full untranslated tweet can be found above. Most browsers are capable of translating to English automatically, but the translated version can also be read below. Although it seems like Watari's future is uncertain at the moment, he is certain to continue giving updates and let his fans know when he finds his new place.
I’d like to make an announcement. As of the end of February, I have resigned from Sega Corporation. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who helped me during my tenure. Thank you very much!
My future plans are still undecided. With guidance and encouragement, I hope to find a new place of employment and an interesting project to which I can devote my passion. I even look forward to working with those of you on my [Twitter] timeline if I have the opportunity.
Some of you may be worried about what will happen to Virtual-On. It pains me to say that I do not have any answers for you at this time. However, if there is any change at Sega in the future, I will watch the outcome attentively along with you all.
Just to be sure, I’d like to add that my resignation was not because of any sort of problem. No punishment led to me being dismissed or anything like that. Thank you for understanding.
I happen to be unemployed, but I still intend to tweet milquetoast stuff out as I have been. I might take some time to mentally reset myself. I would greatly appreciate it if you could continue to associate with me.
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Source: SiliconEra