Goodbyes are always hard when the person leaving has had an impact on your life, no matter if you’ve actually met them or not. In my case, I’ve never actually had the pleasure of meeting our long time PlayStation Head Writer in person, which is the nature of the business. While I’ve been in Los Angeles, he, like many of our staff, works remotely and British Columbia has just been too far for a casual visit. In the nearly two years that Jan’s been with us, he’s offered nothing but his best when it came to coverage of PlayStation. Unbiased with no cynicism, Jan covered the PlayStation brand with passion from the community’s perspective.

While coverage on any given news piece can be found on numerous websites, Jan’s work still managed to shine yet I still knew his passion was elsewhere. For those who don’t know, Jan was also the Editor-in-Chief of JTMGames, a website dedicated more to Indie games with a Canadian perspective. Over time, Jans articles began to really take shape, especially those with a focus on Indie games and in those, you could truly see his passion.

He’s someone who not only appreciates and enjoys Indie games, be it on the PS3 or Ps Vita, but one who understands that community. His game previews, reviews, and interviews are where Jan is at his best. Take for example his interview with Choplifter HD developers, his editorial on The Horror Of Corpse Party, and previews of Retro City Rampage and Hotline Miami before either game was on the radar of mainstream gamers and sites. While Indie games seem all the rage these days, Jan truly had his pulse on the scene long before many of us, including myself paid much attention to them.

I know that Jan is moving on to the next phase of his career and jumping on the other side of the gaming world. Due to that, Jan will be leaving his duties at SonyRumors and JTMGames to pursue his career and work as PR in the industry. Are goodbyes hard? Sure they are, but it definitely helps to know that the person in question is moving towards their vision and goals. I couldn’t be prouder of having Jan as part of our team and I look forward to his work in the future.

You can see all of Jan’s previous work by visiting his profile. Make sure to follow him on Twitter @JanHutchings. If this seems to be the kind of team you’d like to be part of, make sure to visit our careers page.