Last week it emerged that Driveclub’s Game Director, Col Rodgers, had left Evolution Studios. At the time of the original revelation there wasn’t much information to go, and  it happened around the same time as other departures from various Sony studios. Now Col has posted on NeoGAF to clarify as to why he left, with the reason not just being his new venture with BigRedSwith Games but also due to his son’s illness.
“I left Evo in February for personal reasons. The personal reasons being that my son, who is 4 years old, has been diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome, which is a potentially life threatening condition. I live 220 miles (4 hours drive) away from Evolution Studios, and was away from home 5.5 days a week. Given the circumstances, I could not continue to work there. Driveclub is a great game, and the direction hasn’t changed since my departure.
I left SONY on very good terms. There is no animosity there, and I was absolutely nothing to do with the recent redundancies – in fact, the news of those redundancies was probably linked on here before I knew about them.
The games industry is a tough place at the moment. My circumstances with my son mean that I’ve had to leave secure work in order to try to make my own way in the world. This may entail getting another job.”
It’s a sad state of affairs for Col and his family, and we hope that his son is able receive successful treatment. Nephrotic Syndrome affects a person’s kidneys resulting in various forms of damage. If you want to donate to helping fund research for treatment you can do so by going to the NeST website.
Source: NeoGAF
Jackson7195
That is really a sad story. It was worse with the fact of that so called insider making that story about the “real” nature behind his departure. I hope his son is okay and that he has the best of luck with his future.
monkeyspoon
I hope all those Microsoft and Nintendo trolls that were on other sites having a go at him and Sony are feeling bad now.
bunimomike
This is when the media frustrates and sickens me. His job change should have been nothing more than a minor blip. Maybe not even that. However, along with countless video game sites, conjecture is whipped into a frenzy and slathered all across the front pages.
TSBonyman
Very sorry to hear about it, hope everything works out alright for him.