High on Lifedirector andRick and Mortyco-creator Justin Roiland has resigned from his position at Squanch Games. His resignation from the studio behindHigh on Lifefollows Roiland receiving charges of domestic battery and false imprisonment.
In January 2023, it was reported thatRoiland had been charged with domestic battery and false imprisonmentin Orange County, California, in connection with an alleged incident in January 2020. A hearing is currently scheduled for July 27, 2025. Squanch Games was founded by Roiland in 2016, and has gone on to release games such asTrover Saves the Universe, and most recentlyHigh on Life.
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Squanch Games has now confirmed via Twitter that Roiland has resigned his post at the studio, but the team will continue work on improvingHigh on Lifeand making games for their fanbase. As a co-founder, and the creative vision for the studio, it’s hard to say what the future of Squanch Games is without Roiland. Some replies to the tweet ask if Roiland’s in-game character, Kenny, will be recast. This would follow in suit with Adult Swim announcing that the titularRick and Morty will be recastfor the future of the series. Other comments focus on sharing positive words towardsHigh on Life.
The comedy shooterHigh on Lifereceived a high user rating on Metacritic despite a low critic rating, showing that there is a strong audience for games with the studio’s specific brand of comedy and style. While Roiland’s comic style isn’t necessarily appealing for everyone, the success ofRick and Mortyalso shows that the mixture of adult humor and more nonsensical jokes does indeed have a wide audience.
Even with such a wide audience, Roiland’s charges are very serious, and it’shard to say if Squanch Games will be able to recoverfrom the events. With Justin Roiland leaving the studio, Tanya Watson, a former Epic Games executive and Squanch Games co-founder, is presumably left as the head of the studio for now. It is currently unclear if a new creative director will be sought out, or if Watson will fill that role.
While Roiland had been a driving force, putting time and effort in to direct the studios games in a way that balanced gameplay with humor, and including plenty ofeaster eggs inTrover Saves the UniverseandHigh on Lifefor fans, it is also worth noting that Roiland did not make these games alone. Squanch Games is still made up of a team that have worked hard to create these titles, and the studio’s promise to keep working onHigh on Lifeis reassuring. The pressure is on the studio now, but hopefully in time the studio will be able to overcome this setback and continue making games that its fans love.
High on Lifeis available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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