Jack Emmert, one of the founders of Cryptic Studios, returned as CEO earlier this year and now he has named a team of veterans to key positions at the company.
Cryptic and Arc Games announced that the new members are veteran developers Landon Falls, Randy Mosiondz and Julia Sprenz. Falls is executive producer on Neverwinter, Mosiondz assumes the role of creative director for the D&D MMORPG, and Sprenz returns as game designer on Champions Online.
During their original tenure, this group was instrumental in the launches and major success of Star Trek Online, Neverwinter and Champions Online — titles that redefined the MMO genre and set new benchmarks for player agency and world building.
A cofounder of the studio back in 2000, Emmert helped launch its major existing MMORPGs, including Star Trek Online, Neverwinter and Champions Online. Here’s our interview with Emmert.
Some history
Emmert left Cryptic in 2016, and then came back in January, a decade later.
Cryptic itself has had more than 32.2 million registered players since 2000, with 1.47 billion hours of total playtime. But the three operating games right now have low thousands of concurrent players on Steam. While Star Trek Online has a registered player based of 7.7 million, the question is how to get the players back.
Now Cryptic Studios is a game development studio under Arc Games, which also owns Remnant II, Remnant: From the Ashes, the Torchlight series, and Fellowship, as well as distinctive indie experiences like Have a Nice Death and Frosthaven.
Cryptic Studios recently launched major updates with Star Trek Online starships featured in Star Trek TV series like Picard and Starfleet Academy, while the D&D MMORPG Neverwinter recently introduced a depiction of Thay inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
In 2022, Embracer Group acquired Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic and Perfect World Entertainment became part of Gearbox Entertainment.
But in 2023, Embracer Group ran into its own over-expansion troubles. It divested Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two for $460 million. Then Gearbox Publishing rebranded as Arc Games, still under Embracer Group. The live services team DECA Games served as co-developer on Star Trek Online, Neverwinter and Champions Online.
In 2025, Arc Games and Cryptic Studios spun out of Embracer Group as independent companies, both owned by holding company Project Golden Arc. The DECA Games team members who worked on Cryptic’s titles became a part of the new Cryptic.
The new Cryptic Studios
The studio continues its transformative chapter with significant momentum. Recent major
updates have seen Star Trek Online starships featured in Star Trek TV series like Picard and Starfleet Academy, while the D&D MMORPG Neverwinter recently introduced a depiction of Thay inspired by Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Cryptic Studios will continue honoring continuity and evolution – preserving its legacy and aspiring to a bolder and grander vision for its current MMORPGs.
“Coming back to this studio after over a decade feels both surreal and deeply energizing,”
said Falls, in a statement. “The spirit of these games have been supported by an incredible team, and I am thrilled to join forces with Jack once again to help shape the next evolution of Neverwinter and Cryptic Studios as a whole.”
Mosiondz said about Neverwinter in a statement, “Returning to the studio feels like stepping back into a campaign I never truly left. Working on Neverwinter was one of the
most rewarding chapters of my career. I’m inspired by how much the world has grown in
my absence and excited to work with the team to chart the next great adventures for our
players.”
And Sprenz said in a statement, “It feels incredible to be stepping back into a universe I helped bring to life. From mission design to costume customization, my experience here stayed with me. I’m beyond thrilled to reconnect with our amazing community and work together to make Champions Online the best it can be.”
The returning veterans were cornerstones of the studio during its foundational period. Their collective work helped bring millions of players worldwide to Cryptic Studios games and established the MMO studio as a leader in live-service gaming. In their new roles, they will oversee the studio’s existing portfolio while collaborating with the executive team on future projects.
Q&A with the veterans
I asked a series of questions of Landon, Mosiondz and Sprenz about why they were coming back. Here are their written answers.
GamesBeat: Why did you return to the studio?
Landon: Neverwinter was the first game I worked on early in development and my first production role. The opportunity to come back as Executive Producer felt natural to bring the knowledge I’ve collected to the game that began my career.
Randy: Coming back felt like the right moment creatively and personally. Neverwinter is a game I’ve spent a huge part of my career shaping, and I’ve always cared deeply about its players and its place in the D&D space. The opportunity to return and help guide its next phase, especially as interest in the Forgotten Realms is stronger than ever, was something I couldn’t pass up. There’s still so much potential in the game, and I wanted to be part of realizing that.
Julia: Champs was always my dream job. It was tough to say goodbye, and I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to return. Everyone I’ve worked with at Cryptic has always been so kind and helpful, and it’s great to be a part of the team again!
GamesBeat: What’s it like to return after being gone?
Landon: It feels like an amalgamation of nostalgia and putting on an old pair of work gloves. It’s the first time I have come to a new project and didn’t feel like I had to learn what the project was or meet everyone on the team. It has been very exciting to get to know the new faces, how the game has changed and start to plan what we can do to keep breathing life into this game, so many people have enjoyed over the years and will continue to do so for many more to come.
Randy: It’s a mix of familiarity and fresh perspective. There’s a lot that feels like coming home, the team, the DNA of the game, the community. But stepping away gave me distance, and that’s incredibly valuable. I’m looking at things now with clearer eyes, seeing both what still works and what needs to evolve. It’s exciting because I get to reconnect with something I love while also helping reshape it for where players are today.
Julia: There was a little bit of rust to shake off, but I was working away on the editor a couple hours into my first day back. Cryptic as a whole is teaming with positive energy, and it reminds me a lot of my first days working on the game way back in 2015. It’s all very exciting!
GamesBeat: What do you hope to accomplish this time?
Landon: I hope to build sustainability for the game, players and the team. There are a lot of areas I want to help make sure they are healthy for everyone involved, whether that’s making sure we can continue releasing new modules at a good pace, making sure we continue to focus on class balance and changes, or our own internal processes to continue a good work-life balance while ensuring exciting content.
Randy: My focus is on evolving Neverwinter in a way that respects its strengths while modernizing the experience. That means improving core systems, making progression feel more rewarding, and delivering adventures that feel truly grounded in the Forgotten Realms. I also want to strengthen the connection between players and the world, making their journey feel more meaningful, more social, and more reactive. Ultimately, it’s about making the game feel vibrant, accessible, and worth investing in for years to come.
Julia: I’m aiming to get Champs back on a routine update schedule. In particular, my goals for this year are to get some much needed new content added into the game for players of all level ranges to delve into, smooth out a handful of gameplay systems that have been not so well received, address a few troublesome bugs that have been plaguing the game for some time, and expand the current selection of powers so the Champions of Millennium City can keep being the heroes they want to be.
GanesBeat What’s your best memory of Cryptic?
Landon: I was at Cryptic a month short of the 10-year mark in my first tenure. The one that sticks with me the most was my last day—everyone wished me well and good luck throughout the day. Specifically, at the end of the day, just randomly in the hallway, someone I spent a lot of time with wished me farewell. Immediately, all that camaraderie I had felt throughout the day burst and I teared up with a mix of joy and sadness and I had to get a hug at that point. It was really the people that made Cryptic and the joy we shared working with each other.
Randy: It’s hard to pin down a single best memory. I’ve been there for a long time through multiple releases, and made life-long friends along the way. I think for me is the celebration that comes after so much work on a new release. Years of creative work go into these releases, and seeing that finally come to life is very rewarding. I remember when Neverwinter first released and the excitement that came both from the developers and the fans – it’s a great feeling!
Julia: That’s a hard one to specify. I have many fond memories of going on extravagant quests across the studio trying to figure out how some arcane piece of tech in Champs worked. I always loved doing the monthly costume contests and seeing all the awesome costumes our resident Champions came up with. But a tear does come to my eye when thinking about my last day, and all the kind words and support I received from the playerbase and fellow Cryptonians alike.