Owlchemy Labs created one of virtual reality’s first big successes with its cheeky game, Job Simulator. Now cofounder and CEO Alex Schwartz has announced that he’s ready to move on, and is leaving to start a new company with Owlchemy studio director Cy Wise.
“For me, creating a company that was building innovative products while sustaining itself over the long term was always the goal,” Schwartz said in a Medium post. “Taking a leap to try to make something out of nothing engages me, inspires me, and invigorates me, occasionally to the point that it takes over my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Much like the leaps I took to get Owlchemy off the ground, I’m returning to this area of uncertainty and uncharted grounds to build something new.”
Schwartz hasn’t revealed whether his new venture will be in the VR space, or something different.
From garage to Google acquisition, it’s been 8 crazy yrs of games, VR, and madness at Owlchemy Labs. Now I’m announcing the next chapter in my absurd journey: co-founding a new venture with @cyceratops! So excited! But first, taking a real vacation! Deets: https://t.co/R3qMPUTRzT
— Alex Schwartz (@gtjuggler) June 19, 2018
Owlchemy’s current chief technology officer Devin Reimer will be taking over as CEO, project manager Andrew Eiche will become the new CTO, and digital media strategist Autumn Taylor will step into the studio director role.
Google acquired the studio last May, and it has since been working on following up its hit Job Simulator with a sequel, Vacation Simulator, which is due out later this year. Less than a year after its 2016 launch, Job Simulator had pulled in $3 million and was one of the most downloaded VR games. Owlchemy followed its debut game up with Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, based on the popular Adult Swim cartoon series.
