UPDATE #2: In a short email response, Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart acknowledged the news.

"Chris Avellone is no longer at Obsidian," he told me. "We wish him the best in his future endeavours."

UPDATE: Chris Avellone confirmed his departure from Obsidian in an email to me.

"It is true, Bertie," he wrote, "and many well wishes to the folks at Obsidian. On the future, I'm off to pursue new projects, but I can't say anything more at this time beyond life is short, and the ideas keep growing."

ORIGINAL STORY: Chris Avellone has left Obsidian Entertainment.

"With much well wishes, I can now officially say I have officially left Obsidian Entertainment to accept a sudden (and promising) opening as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts," he wrote on Facebook (he shared a similar, slightly shorter message on Twitter).

"The first part is serious," he followed-up on Twitter, "but much love and well wishes to my fellow devs, good folks one and all."

I've reached out to him to try and find out why.

I have officially left Obsidian Entertainment to accept a sudden opening as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. — Chris Avellone (@ChrisAvellone) June 9, 2015

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(The first part is serious, but much love and well wishes to my fellow devs, good folks one and all.) — Chris Avellone (@ChrisAvellone) June 9, 2015

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Avellone, a writer and game designer of many years, helped found Obsidian Entertainment in 2003. He was one of many former Black Isle staff who made a new home there.

Avellone was creative director at Obsidian, instrumental in everything it turned out, including Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity.

But his career was celebrated long before then, he having been game director of revered RPG Planescape: Torment way back when.

Chris Avellone was instrumental in helping me organise, and being a part of, a chunky Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 post-mortem, and a Planescape: Torment post-mortem podcast.