Arc Raiders has been so profitable for the publisher that Patrick Söderlund is effectively moving into a broader creative leadership role across Nexon. Söderlund, the founder and CEO of Embark Studios, is being elevated to Nexon‘s executive chairman after the breakout success of Arc Raiders.
Söderlund is the founder and CEO of Embark Studios. The studio is best known for Arc Raiders. The game has been successful enough that Nexon, Embark‘s parent company, decided to put Söderlund in charge of all creative activities. Söderlund has been appointed executive chairman of Nexon in a newly created role that gives him broad authority over the company’s long-term strategy, creative direction, and global game development operations. Söderlund will oversee the creative side, while Nexon CEO Lee Junghun will handle business matters. Söderlund will also remain the head of Embark.
According to Söderlund, Nexon has everything it needs for dramatic growth: exceptionally talented people, iconic franchises, large and committed player communities, and top-tier live service capabilities. He says the opportunity is huge, but it demands deep focus and discipline. He added that he and Lee agree on what needs to happen, and that he is ready to get to work. Lee, in turn, said he and Söderlund are fully aligned on Nexon‘s transformation. Söderlund has built studios, attracted some of the best talent in the industry, and delivered major global successes, which is exactly what Nexon needs right now.
This is a major win for Nexon. Söderlund may not be the most recognizable game developer to mainstream audiences, but he has built an extraordinary career in leadership roles at DICE and Electronic Arts. Among other positions, he served as EA‘s global head of studio design and executive vice president before stepping down in 2018. He became CEO of DICE after the company acquired Refraction Games in 2000, a studio Söderlund co-founded in 1997, and later became a vice president at Electronic Arts after EA acquired DICE in 2006. Söderlund founded Embark in 2018 shortly after leaving Electronic Arts, and Nexon acquired the studio in 2021. In that sense, you could say this outcome was not entirely unexpected.
The promised transformation also sounds interesting, and Nexon says it will share more details at its capital markets briefing on March 31.
Source: PCGamer
