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Leading VR Team Owlchemy Labs Has New Leadership, Devs Branch Out Into New Venture

CEOwl and janitor Alex Schwartz and studio director Cy Wise are starting something new while Devin Reimer transitions into the CEOwl role.

Charles Singletary Jr

June 19, 2018 10:10 AM

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In May of last year, Google added one of the most prominent VR developers to its stable by snatching up Owlchemy Labs. The team created the critically acclaimed Job Simulator, followed it up with Rick & Morty: Virtual Rick-ality, and are deep into the development of Vacation Simulator. We chatted with Devin Reimer of Owlchemy Labs during E3 but, unbeknownst to us, we were chatting with the new CEOwl of the company as Alex Schwartz and Cy Wise branch out into a new venture and Andrew Eiche moves into the Chief Technology Owl role now.

Announced via Medium, former CEOwl Alex Schwartz broke the news and stated that he'd be taking legit, non-VR vacation before diving into the new project. Here's an excerpt:

"For me, creating a company that was building innovative products while sustaining itself over the long term was always the goal. Taking a leap to try to make something out of nothing engages me, inspires me, and invigorates me, occasionally to the point that it takes over my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Much like the leaps I took to get Owlchemy off the ground, I’m returning to this area of uncertainty and uncharted grounds to build something new.

You might ask “well, what is the new company?!” I’m super thrilled and absurdly excited about my next adventure but I’m not quite ready to share all of the details quite yet. But before starting on my new thing, I’ll be finally taking some actual time off (thanks Patrick Curry for the advisor/uncle-like suggestion!) and doing some traveling before jumping back in.

To new adventures and new beginnings! I can’t wait."

Studio Director Cy Wise also shared an update on the leadership change on her Twitter account:

Holy fuck! I’m leaving @OwlchemyLabs to co-found a new venture with @gtjuggler! Beyond excited for this adventure! I'm going to miss the absolute heck out of the Owls, but I’m so happy for what they’re set up to do and so SO proud of the part I played. Can’t wait to share more!!

— Cy Wise @ AFK (@cyceratops) June 19, 2018

We'll definitely be keeping tabs on what Cy and Alex are creating next, so be sure to stay tuned to Shacknews for updates.

Charles Singletary Jr

News Editor

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.