leadership change Archives

AppWizard

October 22, 2025

Tero Virtala steps down as Remedy CEO

Tero Virtala has stepped down as CEO of Remedy Entertainment, effective immediately. Markus Mäki, a founder and board member since 1995, will serve as interim CEO. Virtala led the company since 2016, focusing on independence and reducing reliance on third-party partnerships, resulting in the launch of the game Control in 2019. Under his leadership, Remedy secured publishing rights for Control and the Alan Wake series. However, the company faced challenges in 2025 with the release of its first multiplayer game, FBC: Control, which did not meet performance expectations, leading to a profit warning issued in October.

AppWizard

October 16, 2025

Ben Brinkman returns to 2K to head up 31st Union

2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman as the new studio head of 31st Union, following the departure of Michael Condrey in February 2025. Brinkman has a background with EA, Activision, and Respawn Entertainment, and previously worked at 2K from 2006 to 2008. The studio is currently developing Project Ethos, with community feedback from a playtest last fall influencing its direction. Company president David Ismailer expressed optimism about the project and noted that confidence in it is growing.

AppWizard

October 7, 2025

Unannounced sequel to this 82% rated Aliens co-op game appears on US ratings board out of nowhere

The gaming community is speculating about a potential sequel to the 2021 title, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, as a page for Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 has appeared on the ESRB website, listing Daybreak Game Company as the publisher. Cold Iron Studios hinted at a new project last September, but did not confirm it as a sequel. The ESRB has assigned an M for Mature rating to the game, indicating readiness and suggesting that an official announcement may be forthcoming. The sequel is anticipated for release in 2025.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Coatsink’s founders are leaving the company

Coatsink, an indie game development studio, is undergoing a leadership change as its founding trio—CEO Tom Beardsmore, CDO Paul Crabb, and COO Eddie Beardsmore—will step down from their roles by the end of the year after 14 years. Richard Snowdon, who has been with Coatsink since 2015 and served as head of studio since 2022, will become the new CEO. Snowdon has prior experience at Eutechnyx, Double Eleven, and Accenture.

AppWizard

July 14, 2025

DICE and Goodbye Kansas vet Loving takes over LEGO game arm

Fredrik Loving has been appointed as the Senior Vice President and global head of LEGO's gaming division. He previously served as president at Spin Master for over five years and has experience at Rovio and DICE, where he worked on the Battlefield franchise. Loving founded Goodbye Kansas in 2017 but left after two years. LEGO is shifting its video games division in-house, moving away from reliance on licensing agreements.

AppWizard

July 8, 2025

Industry vet Papoutsis is Unknown Worlds new CEO

Krafton has appointed Steve Papoutsis as the new CEO of Unknown Worlds, replacing co-founders Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire. Papoutsis, who has experience from Crystal Dynamics and Visceral Games, joined Krafton in 2019 through Striking Distance Studios. Krafton CEO CH Kim emphasized the importance of delivering an exceptional gaming experience, particularly with the upcoming release of Subnautica 2. Papoutsis expressed his commitment to enhancing the player experience and acknowledged the contributions of the previous leadership.

AppWizard

July 4, 2025

Matt Firor steps down as ZeniMax Online studio boss

Matt Firor is stepping down as president of ZeniMax Online Studios after 18 years. He will be succeeded by studio head Jo Burba, executive producer Susan Kath, and game director Rich Lambert. Firor expressed confidence in the new leadership team, which has been involved in significant expansions for Elder Scrolls Online. The transition occurs alongside restructuring at ZeniMax, including the cancellation of an MMO project called Blackbird. Firor joined ZeniMax in 2007 and his departure signifies a major change for the studio.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

Phil Rogers is Embracer Group’s next CEO

Phil Rogers will become the CEO of Embracer Group on August 1st, succeeding Lars Wingefors, who will transition to executive chair of the board in September. Rogers joined Embracer in 2022 and previously served as deputy CEO, leading Crystal Dynamics and Plaion. Kicki Wallje-Lund will take on the role of deputy chair. This leadership change follows the recent announcement of the spin-off of Coffee Stain into an independent entity.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

Discord replaces CEO Citron with Activision vet Sakhnini

Jason Citron, the CEO and co-founder of Discord, is stepping down from his leadership role, with Humam Sakhnini, the former chief strategy officer at Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty, taking over. Citron will remain involved as a board member and advisor. This leadership change is part of Discord's strategic plans to eventually go public. Sakhnini expressed enthusiasm about joining Discord and emphasized the platform's importance in the gaming community.

AppWizard

March 28, 2025

Warner reportedly axes Hogwarts Legacy expansion

Warner Bros has halted the development of an expansion for Hogwarts Legacy due to concerns that the amount of content did not justify the proposed price. The expansion was being developed by Avalanche Software in collaboration with Rocksteady Studios. Rocksteady has faced challenges, including layoffs and ceasing support for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which contributed to Warner Bros' admission of underperformance in its gaming division. The company also decided to close three studios, including Monolith Productions, and experienced a leadership change with the departure of gaming division head David Haddad.