Its a shame he left cause SE needs all the help they can get but at least he seems to be still chatting with Sakeguchi. So if he doesn't stay freelance, he might wind up at Mistwalker.
As much as Mistwalker would probably be a good fit for him and not screw around with him, part of me hopes he doesn't go that way just because of their tendency to make games for systems I don't own. I'd hate for their to be Matsuno games out there I can't play.