Remedy Entertainment’s CEO, Tero Virtala, has “mutually agreed” to resign from his role “with immediate effect,” as confirmed by a release today. Following his departure, the developer of titles like Alan Wake and Max Payne is now seeking a successor. Virtala has been at the helm since August 2016, and while he has stepped down, the announcement indicates he will remain with the company during a transition period to help facilitate the handover of his responsibilities. Additionally, one of Remedy’s original founders, Markus Mäki, has taken on the position of interim CEO, resigning from his role as chairman, which will now be held by Henri Österlund.
Mäki expressed his gratitude, stating, “I 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.”
Upcoming Projects at Remedy
Remedy has an exciting lineup ahead, including Control 2 and remakes of Max Payne 1 & 2. The company has not indicated that this leadership change will affect these projects, suggesting that everything continues as scheduled. However, both games appear to be some distance away from release, with no launch windows currently announced.
Challenges Faced
Recently, Remedy has faced hurdles as well. Their multiplayer co-op shooter, FBC: Firebreak, released just months ago, received a lukewarm reception, earning a critic score of 64 on Metacritic. The company has since acknowledged “weak sales” for the title, adjusting its “long-term sales forecast” downward and issuing a “profit warning” alongside a revision of its outlook for 2025. Virtala mentioned, “Remedy is recognizing a non-cash impairment of capitalized development costs and allocated purchased publishing and distribution rights related to FBC: Firebreak. While we balance future investments to the title, we continue developing and improving the game in line with our updated long-term sales forecast.”
Additionally, in May of last year, another project with the codename Kestrel was canceled to allow Remedy to concentrate more on its existing franchises. While these developments were not directly linked to Virtala’s resignation, the studio undoubtedly needs a positive outcome moving forward.
Interestingly, the iconic look of Max Payne emerged from the game creator’s university TTRPG club. However, after the game’s success, he felt so “self-conscious” that he had to change his hairstyle to avoid being recognized.