Cryptic Studios Announces Return Of MMO Pioneer Jack Emmert As CEO

Emmert previously led Cryptic through releases of its most popular MMORPGs.

By QuintLyn Bowers, News Editor Posted: January 28, 2026

Jack Emmert Returns

Fans of Cryptic Studios’ games will be interested to know that a familiar face is returning to the company. The developer of popular free-to-play MMORPGs like Star Trek Online, Champions Online, and Neverwinter announced the return of Jack Emmert as the company’s new CEO. Emmert is intimately familiar with all of these projects, having led the studio during their creation.

Emmert’s goal upon returning to Cryptic is to “recapture the spirit and ambition that once made the studio a genre-defining force”. His plans are to focus on Cryptic’s legacy and “restore the studio to its full potential”.

To share his plans with players, Emmert will be hosting a live Q&A session on Cryptic’s Twitch channel. The stream is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 3 at 11:00 am Pacific time. In addition, he will also host AMAs on the Neverwinter and Star Trek Online subreddits. The first will begin at 9:00 am Pacific time on February 4. The second will be held the same day, beginning at 11:00 am Pacific time.

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In this article: Champions Online, Star Trek Online, Neverwinter, Cryptic Studios.

About the Author

QuintLyn Bowers, News Editor

QuintLyn is a long-time lover of all things video game related will happily talk about them to anyone that will listen. She began writing about games for various gaming sites a little over ten years ago and has taken on various roles in the games community.