After Hacker Dispute, Daybreak's Former President Leaves Company Entirely

After stepping down from the role of president, Daybreak's John Smedley has now left the company completely. Previously announced plans were for him to take time off and then return in a different role.

Daybreak, the reformed version of the MMO-focused studio formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, has confirmed with Game Informer that Smedley is now gone from the company. It didn't offer a reason for why he was moving on.

Smedley initially stepped away from his role after having dealt with repeated harassment, in particular from Julius "Zeekill" Kivimaki. Smedley indicated it was Kivimaki who was responsible for grounding a flight he was on in 2014 by claiming there were explosives on-board. Kivimaki would later be convicted of thousands of charges related to Internet crimes, though, being only 17 years old, he received no jail time--something that didn't seem to sit well with Smedley.

It looks as if Smedley doesn't plan on continuing his break from work, however, as he's taken up the position of CEO with a new company. This is according to a post on his Facebook page (via Trust in Play), which fails to offer any specifics beyond the fact that the company is based in San Diego, where Daybreak is also located.

Smedley had been with Daybreak/Sony Online Entertainment for close to two decades prior to his departure, working on everything from EverQuest to Planetside to H1Z1.