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Justin Roiland Resigns as Squanch Games CEO

Move comes after the ‘Rick and Morty’ co-creator was dropped this week from his shows with Adult Swim and Hulu; the status of his production company, Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions! is unknown.

Justin Roiland has stepped down from his CEO role at video game development studio Squanch Games (Trover Saves the Universe, High on Life), which he co-created with Tanya Watson in 2016. THR reports Roiland formally resigned on January 16, four days after NBC News first broke the story of his felony domestic abuse charges.

This past January 13, the prolific animation producer and voice actor faced a pre-trial hearing on charges of felony false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit he pleaded not guilty to in 2020. While no trial date has been set, he faces another pre-trial hearing on April 27.

Troublingly, Kotaku revealed that a former Squanch Games employee sued the outlet in 2018 over alleged sexual harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. The studio denied the claims, but both parties eventually agreed to a settlement. We can only wonder about the nature and scope of the accusations.

Roiland has also been dropped from Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, and Koala Man. The hugely popular Rick and Morty was renewed for 70 episodes back in 2018. Season 6 just finished its run last month, with a total of 61 episodes of the show airing to date. Roiland’s newest series, the Hulu Original Koala Man he executive produces along with creator Michael Cusack, just premiered January 9, while Solar Opposites  was renewed for a third season back in 2020. The producer seems to still be attached to his animation studio, Justin Roiland’s Solo Vanity Card Productions!

While the moves by Adult Swim and Hulu feel appropriate given the circumstances, the fact Roiland willingly stepped down from Squanch Games may hint at culpability, despite his lawyer T. Edward Welbourn insisting, “not only is Justin innocent but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed.”

He remains free on a $50,000 bond.

Laurén Alexa's picture

Cybersecurity specialist by day, investigative journalist by night.