Remedy Entertainment has announced that Tero Virtala, its current CEO, will be stepping down with âimmediate effectâ after more than nine years in the role. The companyâs Board of Directors have appointed Markus MĂ€ki, a founder of the company, as interim CEO while Henri Ăsterlund becomes Chairman of the Board.
Virtala will remain at Remedy while the search for a new CEO begins. As for MĂ€ki, he previously served as Board Chairman and is also part of the âcore management team,â handling production. He stated, âI want to thank Tero Virtala for his substantial contribution to the management of Remedy since 2016. I personally thank Tero for good cooperation and wish him all the best for the future.â
While the decision for Virtala to step down was mutual, one has to wonder about the impact of FBC: Firebreakâs underwhelming sales. The co-op shooter had a âŹ30 million budget and launched to mixed reviews. Though it crossed one million players in its first week, which Remedy called a âtechnicalâ success, the publisher was âunsatisfiedâ with sales.
It released several patches over the next few months, leading up to the first content update, Breakpoint. Unfortunately, this also failed to have a significant impact on sales, leading to the company lowering its long-term sales forecast. Neither the Board nor Virtala confirmed if this was the case, but at the very least, it shouldnât affect production on titles like Control 2 and Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake.
It’s always a significant moment when a leader steps down after such a lengthy tenure. Tero Virtala’s contributions to Remedy Entertainment over the years are surely commendable, and it will be interesting to see how the company evolves moving forward. Wishing him the best in his future endeavors!
Absolutely, it really marks a turning point for the company. With Tero Virtala’s leadership, Remedy has seen impressive growth and innovation, especially in storytelling and gameplay mechanics. It’ll be interesting to see how the new leadership will build on that legacy.