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When I left Cryptic Studios in 2016, I thought it was to seek new challenges and adventures – to prove that I could do more than just Cryptic. I had been there for sixteen years; I was one of its founders. I was the Lead Designer on City of Heroes/Villains, the Chief Creative Officer for Champions Online, the COO for Star Trek Online and ultimately the CEO when Neverwinter launched. Cryptic Studios was my very first job in the video game industry – and to be frank, when I first started, I really had zero clue of things outside my little corner. But most of all, after sixteen years at Cryptic, I’d become stale. I’d pretty much given what I could at that point, and I needed to go to school elsewhere to figure things out.
I joined Daybreak Games to oversee DC Universe Online, and a little later Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online, though to be fair to everyone, I think I learned more from them than vice versa! I even had a chance to work alongside the venerable devs on Everquest I and II – and boy, did they have stories! But not just that, everyone at Daybreak had brand new perspectives about how to make and operate games. I saw new game mechanics and types of content that I’d never seen before. I was humbled by how much was out there.
Cryptic Studios has been through just as many changes as I have. But the teams have held strong through the past few years and continued to put out great products. It’s amazing to see the games I helped develop, Champions Online, Star Trek Online and Neverwinter still thriving several years later. The teams are only one part of the equation: what’s made those games last is you – the player. Our communities always made the Cryptic games special.
Why am I excited to return to Cryptic? First, the team is still terrific. Many faces have changed, but the commitment to the players has remained steadfast. Second, I love these games. There were very few Cryptic employees who played any of our games more than me. Third, Arc Games has promised full support to make Champions Online, Star Trek Online and Neverwinter the best they can be. I believe in the team, the games and their players. Of course, there might be more to come…but that’s a story for another day!
I cannot promise results, but I can promise effort. I’m going to do everything I can to live up to the team’s and your expectations. I want to make sure that together we make our games flourish. If you’re a current player, THANK YOU! And if you’ve once played but are reading and simply curious, COME BACK! I’ll be actively getting feedback from all our various channels and even more importantly, I’ll be holding a LIVE Q&A session regularly. Anyone can get in and ask questions – the harder, the better (and yes, I regret nerfing Invuln Tanks – inside joke there). I’m planning on doing it quarterly, but that might change depending on demand.
Thank you for reading and I’m excited to be back at Cryptic! Looking forward to what this year will bring and beyond.
~ Jack Emmert, CEO of Cryptic Studios
Mark your calendars, adventurers! We will be hosting a live Q&A livestream with Jack on our Cryptic Studios Twitch channel next Tuesday, February 3 at 11:00am PT / 8:00pm CET, giving you a chance to hear more about his vision for the future of Cryptic Studios.
If you can’t make it for the livestream, don’t fret. There will also be an exclusive AMA with Jack on the Neverwinter subreddit (r/Neverwinter), next Wednesday, February 4 at 9:00am Pacific Time / 6:00pm CET where you ask questions, share feedback and engage in an open discussion about the road ahead. See you there!