John Romero updated his .plan with word that Steve Ash, former lead programmer on ION Storm's Daikatana, has decided to part with the company. Taking his place is Shawn Green, who many will recall is an id Software alumnus. Here's the scoop, straight from The Romero himself:

Alright, before all of the news sites start going nutty with this information, I just want to thank Steve Ash, my lead programmer, for all the excellent work he's put in on Daikatana. We're past the "adding tech" stage and are working on finishing up the game, so Steve decided to move on and get back to California where he can actually USE his Ducati motorcycle on the winding mountain roads instead of watching his tires melt on the hot Dallas pavement. Heh. Good luck Steve, and thanks for everything. :)

The new lead programmer on Daikatana is Shawn Green, whom I have known for eight years or so and has been doing a great job on Daikatana since its inception.