Ratchet & Clank Writer, TJ Fixman, Leaves Insomniac

In a post from his blog, TJ Fixman has announced that he is leaving Insomniac Studios after seven years and nine games. The blog post reveals the reasoning behind him leaving and how he feels about the ordeal.

Fixman’s decision to leave comes after being offered a feature assignment by Disney, and then New Line Cinema bought a script from him right after. As an aspiring screenwriter, I know how hard it must have been for him to have to choose between his dream and the company he has helped shape for seven years.

“To be offered the opportunity to craft a story, in any medium, is a privilege.  There is no hierarchy of relevance when it comes to art. Other than the aforementioned scheduling gymnastics, my moving on is about searching for a new challenge. I can look at my time at Insomniac and feel like I’ve done what I set out to do there. As for other mediums, I feel like I’m just getting started. I’m excited by movies and television. I want to get back into graphic novel writing. I want to develop different projects with new characters and stories and worlds I can explore. Right now I have the opportunity to try all of it, and when you’re handed a gift like that, you have to grab onto it with both hands.”

But he’s not leaving for good! Fixman says that he will continue to be apart of Insomniac, even if it is only a little.

“[M]y relationship with Insomniac and the Ratchet & Clank franchise will continue. As a producer and writer on the movie, I will still be helping to shepherd Ratchet & Clank into the feature world. I’ve also made sure the North Carolina studio has everything they need to finish Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, a truly awesome game I hope you all love. My relationship with Insomniac will continue, as will my involvement with the video game industry. How it will all coalesce is something I’ll work out along the way, but I could never abandon the industry that has given me so much.“

It looks like his work with Insomniac will never truly end. It is great to see someone leave the industry peacefully.