Richard Garriott, the space tourist who flew to the International Space Station last month, is leaving computer game company NCSoft to pursue new ventures that were at least inspired by his recent trip to space. “Many of you probably wonder what my plans are, now that I have achieved the lifelong dream of going to space,” he said in a letter on the web site of “Tabula Rasa”, the latest game he produced. “Well, that unforgettable experience has sparked some new interests that I would like to devote my time and resources to. As such, I am leaving NCsoft to pursue those interests.”
Garriott has not released any additional information about those interests, and NCSoft had no comment about his departure. According to Wired News, “most see this as an opportunity for the developer to finally devote the entirety of his time to the various space tourism initiatives he has long had a hand in.” Garriott is on the board of Space Adventures, the company that arranged his trip to space. However, it’s also possible that his interests lie beyond personal spaceflight. For example, among his activities in space was performing protein crystallization experiments for ExtremoZyme, a company co-founded by Owen Garriott, a former NASA astronaut and Richard Garriott’s father.
The game Garriott created has been struggling. NCSoft also announced a 50 percent plunge in third quarter profits today and is in the midst of a major reorg.