John Smedley, the top executive of Amazon Games Studios in San Diego, is leaving the firm after a six-year tenure. Throughout that period, Smedley was engaged in a variety of projects, but sadly none of them have seen completion.

In an email sent out to everyone at the company, Smedley stated that he has come to the conclusion that it is time for him to take on something different. Andy Sites will take on the duties of the studio head and Smedley will help to ensure the transition runs smoothly. Smedley is best recognized for the MMOs he developed like Everquest and Star Wars Galaxies.

A spokesperson from Amazon commented to Bloomberg, noting John’s distinguished place in the gaming world and thanking him for his work with Amazon Games over the past six years. The team he was leading is staying focused on completion of an unannounced project. John is committed to stay till the group is settled into their transition and then move on to something new. The announcement of John’s leaving comes in the wake of significant retrenchment at Amazon.

Last year, Eddie Makuch from GameSpot wrote an article about Amazon Games' VP, Christoph Hartmann. Smedley, one of the people interviewed, related an anecdote about presenting three game concepts to Hartman, of which he chose the least traditional, difficult one. Smedley was amazed that he had selected the hardest option and said, “Wow! He saw something unique in the hard one - something that made it stand out from anything else.”