High on Life studio Squanch Games has confirmed that co-founder Justin Roiland has handed in his resignation after being charged with felony domestic abuse.
In a statement posted to Twitter (below), Squanch Games confirms that the resignation was received at the beginning of last week. Roiland or not, the studio plans to continue to “keep developing games we know our fans will love” while supporting and improving High on Life.
The announcement follows swiftly on the heels of Adult Swiming ending its association with Roiland regarding the TV show Rick and Morty. Much like High on Life, Rick and Morty will continue without Roiland.
pic.twitter.com/eWRdAzKwlIJanuary 25, 2023
As Variety reports, that means the roles of Rick and Morty will be recast. The current expectation regarding the show's running is that co-creator Dan Harmon will take over.
Two weeks ago, NBC News reported that Roiland was charged with domestic battery and false imprisonment in May 2020. An anonymous Jane filed the charges alleging the incident occurred in January 2020. Roiland pleaded not guilty to the charges later that year, with numerous pre-trial hearings reportedly occurring since. The case is apparently due to reconvene on April 27.
Squanch Games was initially set up back in 2016 under the name Squanchtendo. Since then, the studio has released several games, such as Trover Saves the Universe and accounting. The most recent, released just last year, is High on Life, which launched to mixed reviews.
Meanwhile, Rick and Morty was renewed in 2018 for an additional 70 episodes, which would bring the series to the 100 mark. Season 6 ended in December 2022, bringing the show to 61 episodes.
Roiland is also involved with an animated Hulu series called Solar Opposites, though, at the time of writing, we've yet to receive word over the show's fate.
