Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed to Next-Gen.Biz that SOE chief creative officer Raph Koster (pictured) is leaving the company; rumors of president John Smedley leaving debunked.

SOE's corporate communications director stated that Koster is "leaving SOE to pursue development interests outside of the company."

An additional e-mail statement added, "Although his current interests take him into areas that don’t match SOE’s strategic goals, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

In line with SOE policy, Koster's future development plans were not disclosed.

Before SOE, Koster worked with Electronic Arts and Origin as lead designer for Ultima Online.

Rumors also have recently surfaced that SOE president John Smedley would be parting ways with the company. SOE debunked that rumor, stating, "John is still the president of the company, and is hopefully for a long, long time to come."

In addition, the rep confirmed reports that SOE VP of business development Cindy Armstrong would be leaving to pursue other opportunities as well.