Burnie Burns, one of the co-founders of the popular media company Rooster Teeth, has announced that he will be leaving both the company and the United States as a whole. Though this may come as a shock to many of his fans, the writing has been on the wall for a while now.
Not long ago, Burns stepped down from his position as chief creative officer and became an executive producer. This happened alongside a massive shakeup of Rooster Teeth's' upper management and direction. Since then, Burns has been slowly distancing himself from the company and the public eye as a whole.
His decision to fully leave the company seemed like the next logical step, and in his own announcement, he admits that many fans had pieced together that he was planning to do so. He is now going to be moving overseas to live a more quiet life with his wife, Ashley Burns.
Though it would be easy to assume that the move is in response to the change in direction that Rooster Teeth is taking and the leadership changes, that doesn't seem to be the case. Burns' statement about leaving makes it clear that he is thrilled with where Rooster Teeth is heading and he even personally thanks the new leadership and his old-time friends for making the company what it is now with him. Burns founded the company in 2003, 17 years ago, and it seems he is simply ready to move on to new things.
Burns neglected to share where exactly he was going or what he and his wife would be doing after the move, but did share that the relocation has been in the works for over two years now. With how successful Rooster Teeth was, Burns is no doubt financially stable. Most think he is planning on retiring or pursuing his own personal creative goals from the comfort of a new location where he and his family won't be the center of attention all the time. It is likely that the birth of their son last year plays a role in the decision as well.
Finally, Burns does take a moment to share sympathy for the current state of unrest in the US, saying that he and his wife "look forward to returning to a country that has made many long-overdue changes to benefit all of its citizens." He elaborates that leaving the country during these trying times was a difficult decision, but one that he had to make.
Burnie Burns of Rooster Teeth is leaving the US.
Source: Variety