Dev Blog
posted on December 14, 2020
Hello Squad Community,
I’m writing to let you know that after seven great years of active involvement in OWI since it’s formation, I’ll be stepping away from the CEO role for OWI to move onto new things in life moving forward.
Given how important the community has been to how we started and operate to this day as a company, I wanted to take the time to share this news directly with you, and provide you all with some detailed context.
It has been nearly half of my life that I have been involved in Project Reality, Squad, and Offworld as a player, modder, and developer, and that time has been both an incredible journey and has produced experiences that I will forever cherish. What started as a group of modders simply trying to build a game out of a mod we all loved and be able to make a living doing what was once a hobby, has turned into a successful game studio and a growing indie development ecosystem.
This decision is a personal one that I had been considering for some time, as I’ve realized that in particular with the launch of Squad out of Early Access, I feel that spiritually I am looking to move onto a new chapter in my life.
With the success of Squad leaving early access and exceeding our expectations for 2020, as well as our publishing project Beyond the Wire launching into Early Access, Offworld Industries is stronger than it’s ever been. Our team has been working hard to level up as a studio, take Squad to new heights feature and gameplay-wise, and pay it forward by building technology and publishing services to make it easier for other fledgling indie developers and modders to bring their own development ideas to fruition. We also have some awesome new things up our sleeves for 2021 and beyond I think you’ll all be quite excited to hear about.
Offworld has been and I am confident it will continue to be a vehicle to make game experiences that are unlike any other in the gaming world, and ultimately improve the lives of the developers who make our games and the players who play them alike.
Moving forward, I will remain very much involved in Offworld as an advisor, board member, and shareholder to help support that aim. A selection and search process for a new CEO is already underway, and both I and my fellow executive board members are committing an extreme level of due diligence, care, and thought into who will come in to carry on in the role of CEO. We want to be sure that this new CEO embodies Offworld’s DNA both development-wise and culturally, and in particular we want to find someone who will help Squad as a product continue on a path that improves it while keeping it true to its roots as a teamwork and communication based realistic tactical shooter.
I’d like to put particular emphasis on the fact that Offworld is and always has been a studio and company that is much bigger than any one employee, myself included. If I could give you a peek into the chats and hallways of the company, I know you’d find a group of some of the most passionate and genuine folks in games development, and even in general. I’ve made countless lifelong friends over the years at Offworld, and I’m extremely proud to have been able to work alongside the folks here. As we carry on development, countless community comments are continually considered, and each piece of our game undergoes heavy scrutiny, consideration, and genuine care for what it adds to what we ship each update. I’ve always worked hard to play my part on the team, but honestly, I’ve always known it is the team that is the true powerhouse of our studio.
In closing, I’d like to say a thank you to all of you in the community for making everything that we do possible. We really do work hard to recognize it in what we release, but the reality is we wouldn’t be here without the funding that the community provided when we started, and it is the players of Squad in particular that make the game a uniquely fun experience that is unlike any other first-person shooter or even indie game out there. Having the opportunity to lead Offworld has been an incredible honor for me, and I can say without a doubt it has had a profound impact on my life for the better, and I simply would not have had that opportunity without everyone who has been a part of the Squad community since its earliest days.
Very sincerely,
Will Stahl aka Merlin