Volition founder leaving company

It's turning out to be a big year for THQ's Volition, Inc. The studio is launching its fourth Red Faction game next month, finishing its third Saints Row title this holiday season, and bidding its very first employee farewell next week.

"Mike Kulas, GM of our Volition studio in Champaign, Illinois, has retired from Volition and THQ effective May 2," a THQ representative confirmed for GameSpot. "We are thankful for Mike's many years of dedication, and while we are saddened by his departure, we look forward to the next generation of leadership under longtime THQ and Volition employee Dan Cermak who will step into the role of GM."

The news was first reported by the Champaign, Illinois-based News-Gazette. Kulas told the paper the decision to leave was his own and isn't tied to any specific event. He has no immediate professional plans lined up post-Volition and plans to remain in the central Illinois city. Last month, he was in San Francisco at the Game Developers Conference to represent Volition on a roundtable press panel.

Volition was Kulas' second successful startup studio. He originally cofounded Descent developer Parallax Software with Matt Toschlog in 1993. In 1996, the pair split Parallax into a pair of offshoot studios, with Kulas creating Volition and Toschlog establishing Outrage Entertainment. Both studios would eventually be acquired by THQ (Volition in 2000, and Outrage in 2002), although the publisher eventually shuttered Outrage.