Not long ago CyanogenMod Nemesis Phase 1 was announced, spearheaded by a brand new camera app called Focal. It garnered quite a bit of excitement and demonstrated just how far the open source project had come. Unfortunately, one week shy of its 2 month anniversary, Focal has been officially removed from the ROM and isn't likely to make a return.

Focal Screenshots

Rumors of friction between the creator of Focal, Guillaume Lesniak (xplodwild), and heads of the organization have been circulating for some time now, but the official announcement of the new company brought the conflict to a head. We've reached out to the involved parties and learned that the details of the removal are mired in disagreements over dual-licensing now that the ROM may be sold commercially. Guillaume has confirmed he is cutting ties with CyanogenMod and will no longer be a contributor.

Steve Kondik made the official changes to the code base earlier this afternoon, leaving two different comments that imply the discussions were complicated and did not end well. The initial commit message regards the app as unstable, but a comment left immediately afterward praises the app and then hints at the complications that would persist if it remained a part of the project.

In the wake of Focal's departure, it's not clear if a new camera project will start up or if the team will continue to rely on the AOSP-based camera. Focal will likely transition to the Play Store or may find a new home with projects like Paranoid Android or AOKP.

The loss of a high profile custom app is certainly a blow to the company. Whether this proves to be only the first falling out, or if more are looming in the future, we can't be sure. We will update if any new information comes to light.