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Paradox CEO quits over “differing views on the company’s strategy"The new CEO is the old CEO, Fredrik Wester
The new CEO is the old CEO, Fredrik Wester
Top 12 Best Strategy Games to Play on PCWatch on YouTube
Top 12 Best Strategy Games to Play on PC
I feel there’s a lot unsaid inParadox’s brief statementthat “due to differing views on the company’s strategy going forward”, she “decided to leave the CEO position with immediate effect”. Ljungerud publicly bid a fond farewell.
What a ride it has been ❤️ but now it is over and the CEO torch goes back to Fred. Thanks to@TheWesterFront@PdxInteractiveand all of our amazing players for these years, I look forward to new great things to come for the games and the company!— ebba ljungerud (@EbbaPDX)September 1, 2021
What a ride it has been ❤️ but now it is over and the CEO torch goes back to Fred. Thanks to@TheWesterFront@PdxInteractiveand all of our amazing players for these years, I look forward to new great things to come for the games and the company!
“Ebba has done a fantastic job as CEO of Paradox Interactive,” said Håkan Sjunnesson, who’s replacing Wester as chairman of the board. “During her leadership the organisation, player base and our game projects have been strengthened and grown which give the company a strong base for future growth. We regret that she has decided to resign but wish her all the best in future endeavours.”
While it’s hard to ascribe events at Paradox Interactive to any one person without knowing all the inner workings, the company did have a lively time during Ljungerud’s tenure. They’ve experimented with subscription models for grand strategy games, with bothCrusader Kings 2andEuropa Universalis 4offering the option of paying a monthly fee for access to their squillions of DLC packs. They’ve opened twonewstudiosand boughta couplemore. They even seemed to experiment with launching games in an actual decent state, withCK3 coming good out the box- though the state ofEmpire Of SinandEU4’s Leviathan DLCat launch soon ended that hope. They didsign a collective agreement with unions, thoughwe reportedthat things had been far from sunshine and roses for some Q&A employees before then. AndVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, the much-anticipated RPG they’re publishing, apparently got into a hell of a state withnarrative lead Brian Mitsoda being firedthendevelopment switching to a whole other studio.
Wester moved from CEO to chairman in 2018, at the time saying the company needed someone different in the role.
“I’ve been with us close to 15 years now,” Wester toldGamesIndustry.bizin February 2018. “We’re closing in on 300 employees, and I see more and more that we need someone who’s experienced to take over an operation that is growing rapidly and has large visions to continue to grow. And in that, I see my own role as focusing on, for example, new business areas, things where I can shine and do what is actually of most value to the company, and that’s why we’re bringing in Ebba.”
Whatcha gonna do now, CEO Wester?
This company has a special place in my heart, and always will have.pic.twitter.com/2oS4khf8HE— Fredrik Wester (@TheWesterFront)September 2, 2021
This company has a special place in my heart, and always will have.pic.twitter.com/2oS4khf8HE
