Ritual Sees Departures, Appoints New Studio Director

Developer Ritual Entertainment today announced the appointment of Ken Harward as the company's new studio director. Harward comes from a programming position at Ritual. Today's news follows multiple departures from the company in recent days and weeks, including CEO Steve Nix, who is now director of business development at id Software; VP and director of development Tom Mustaine; level designer John "HAL9000" Schuch, who is now working at 3D Realms; and QA manager Mike Russell, among others. "I'm really looking forward to helping guide Ritual," said Harward, speaking on his new management position. "2007 looks to be a great year as we finish up our current projects and start some exciting new ones. I'm excited to have the opportunity to expand my leadership role within the company, and I'm flattered by the huge amount of support everyone in the tribe has shown. There's a ton of positive energy in the halls." Harward's statement suggests that the second installment of Ritual's SiN Episodes is still in development, despite little news regarding the project having been published since the initial episode was released earlier this year. "The new direction Ritual is taking will be great for the studio. It's something we've talked about for a long time, and now Ritual has a perfect opportunity to reach their goals," said Nix, commenting on his former employer. The nature of Ritual's new direction was not specified in today's announcement. When contacted for comment, Ritual declined to comment on its immediate plans at this time.