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Lane Merrifield, one of the co-founders of Club Penguin, has quit the company.
The move comes five years after the kids’ network was acquired by Disney. His departure is effective immediately, though it is understood that Merrifield will remain at hand until the transition is officially completed on February 1st.
Merrifield’s next venture has been confirmed as FreshGrade – a cloud-based educational tool that’s the product of a startup Merrifield himself created in 2011.
Five years ago our little company joined Disney and I had no idea then what an amazing adventure it would turn out to be,” he said in a letter to colleagues, as reported by AllThingsD.
Since that time, I have had the privilege of working alongside and learning from so many of you and the joy of creating great products together. I appreciate the opportunity and the faith this company placed in me and the ways it has allowed me to grow both as a leader and as a person.
I am also grateful for the countless memories this company has created for me and my family. Our team has grown Club Penguin from a simple idea to being the largest global virtual world for kids for seven straight years while maintaining a significant profit margin. I am incredibly proud to have been a part of Club Penguin, and I know that it will continue to grow and thrive.
Like many entrepreneurs though, there comes a time when the desire to create something new outweighs the comfort of what’s known and for me that time has come.”
