Interview: STO Executive Producer Thomas Marrone And Neverwinter Creative Director Randy Mosiondz Discuss The Games And Cryptic’s Future

When it comes to MMORPGs, things haven’t exactly been easy for a while. Newer MMOs have a difficult time catching on and keeping up. Older MMOs… well, they are older. And it can show, in several ways. That’s not the worst thing ever. In fact, MMOs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV continue to stay fairly steady. Although some of that may be due to the amount of money and time players have invested.

On the free-to-play side, we have games like Star Trek Online and Neverwinter, both of which have continued to chug right along, providing players with content based on two very popular IPs. In either case (B2P or F2P), however, things could always be better, particularly with the gaming landscape shifting as it has been.

The question is, how do developers address the changing gaming landscape? Unlike a lot of their peers, STO and Neverwinter developer Cryptic has decided that rather than cutting back or worse, they’d bring back veterans familiar with the development of both games to chart the course for a new era of the long-running MMOs.

Following the return of Jack Emmert as CEO, Neverwinter veteran Randy Moisondz is returning as the game’s Creative Director, while Thomas Marrone has taken up the position of Star Trek Online’s Executive Producer.

Recently, Cryptic offered us the opportunity to ask Randy and Thomas a few questions about their returns and the future they’re planning for these games. Today, we share those answers with you.

MMOBomb: Can you each give us a bit of background on your professional journey? What led you to your respective positions?

Randy: I’ve spent most of my video game industry career working on online RPGs, especially ones rooted in strong IPs. I’ve always been drawn to system-focused design and narrative-driven experiences, and Neverwinter sits right at that intersection. I originally worked on the game during its earlier years, and over time, I moved into broader creative leadership roles. Coming back now as Creative Director on Neverwinter feels like returning to something I helped shape, but with a fresh perspective and a lot more experience under my belt.

Thomas: With our recent Enterprise-themed ship bundle, I’ve made this joke a lot, but I never get tired of it. As they say: “It’s been a long road, getting from there to here!”

I started out as a fan of the game who bought into the closed beta for Star Trek Online well before its initial launch. After posting some UI mockups on the game’s forum, I eventually got a chance to chat with the team and found my way on board as a graphic designer for our publisher at the time, Atari.

From there, I was able to join the STO team itself as a UI artist, and after a few years, moved on to my first love, starships. I worked as a ship artist and eventually became Ship Art lead, then Art Director. Now, as Executive Producer, I can bring my 15 years of experience as a fan, player, and developer to help shape the future course of STO, and I’m really excited to see where we’re going next!

MMOBomb: If I understand correctly, Thomas recently took on the position of Executive Producer for Star Trek Online, but Randy is returning to his position as Neverwinter’s Creative Director. Randy, what made you decide to take up the mantle again?

Randy: Neverwinter has always had a strong foundation. It’s one of the few games where you can really feel like you’re living inside the Forgotten Realms. What drew me back was the opportunity to help re-focus and re-energize that experience.

There’s a moment in any long-running game where you can either maintain momentum or rethink how you evolve. For me, this was about coming back at a time when we can modernize systems, improve player experience, and really double down on what makes Neverwinter special.

MMOBomb: What lessons have each of you learned along the way that you hope to apply to your respective positions going forward? What future would you like to see for your respective games?

Randy: One of the biggest lessons is that clarity of vision matters just as much as execution. Players can tell when a game knows what it wants to be.

Going forward, I want Neverwinter to feel more cohesive. That means improving progression clarity, making systems easier to understand, and ensuring that new and returning players can jump in without friction. At the same time, we want to deepen the experience for long-time players with better rewards, stronger narrative arcs, and more meaningful choices. The future I see is a game that respects its legacy but isn’t afraid to evolve.

For introducing or re-introducing players to Neverwinter, I think our recent Quick Start feature is a great example of something that helps both new and old players get into the game with a max-level, geared-up character so they can play with their friends!

Thomas: The relationship between players and developers is an important one. Jack Emmert, our new/old CEO, wants us to prioritize “empathy with the player.” With a “living” game like Star Trek Online, it’s so important to know how the community is feeling, to understand what they’re excited about and what they’re frustrated with. I’ve been plugged into the STO community my entire 15 years at Cryptic and I hope to put that insight to good use.

Ultimately, I see Star Trek Online as a bit of a “Star Trek Theme Park” where you can go visit “DS9 Land” and “TOS Land,” etc., and so it’s always important to us to be opening new “rides”, if I can abuse the metaphor. But at the same time, I’d like to imbue a stronger sense of the Star Trek Universe as a “place” that you can explore to STO.

I think that sense of being able to “escape to” Star Trek is an important part of why fans connect with it so much. It's why “canon” is so important to them. People want to believe in it, they want to see it all hang together, and it’s a place they want to be able to explore themselves. I want to see STO grow into being more of that place; your own Star Trek story with your own crew and your own captain and your own door into the universe you love so much.

MMOBomb: Throughout the life of these games, the dev teams seem to have had a fairly good working relationship with those related to the IP. For both games, you’ve kept them grounded in the Dungeons & Dragons or Star Trek universes. With Star Trek Online, you’ve had the additional variable of working with the actors from the shows in voicing their respective characters. How difficult is it to manage collaboration on this level? What rules, if any, were set by the original IP owners?

Randy: Working with an established IP like Dungeons & Dragons is both a responsibility and an opportunity. There are definitely guardrails, but they’re there to preserve what makes the world special.

The collaboration is actually very strong. We work closely with Wizards of the Coast to make sure what we’re doing feels authentic. It’s less about restriction and more about alignment. When everyone understands the tone and the lore, it becomes a shared creative process rather than a limiting one.

Thomas: Like Randy said, guardrails are important. As a creative person working with creative people, I love having constraints and challenges and problems to solve. But getting to work within the sandbox of Star Trek is a wonderful “problem” to have! We have a great partnership with Paramount and meet with them regularly. There’s a lot of back and forth as we pitch our story ideas, and they love it when we show off all the work our developers have done.

As for rules, there are the rules everyone would expect, but there are also considerations about using certain characters because they may or may not show up in a show soon, and we have to give them room to maneuver on all of that. When we’ve had to pivot due to an ongoing production, we’ve usually been able to find an even stronger idea and run with it.

And of course, STO has the distinction of actually being able to contribute back INTO the franchise itself since a few of our original starship designs have appeared on Star Trek: Picard and Starfleet Academy! What an honor!

MMOBomb: Are there any aspects of the mainline story content for each game that were more difficult to bring into a video game setting?

Randy: One of the biggest challenges is translating a world that’s traditionally player-driven, like tabletop D&D, into a structured video game experience. In tabletop, a Dungeon Master can adapt instantly to player choices. In an MMO, we have to anticipate those choices and build systems that still feel flexible and reactive. That’s always a balancing act.

Another challenge is scale. The Forgotten Realms is massive, and choosing which stories to tell and how to tell them in a way that feels meaningful is always a big decision. But I think we’ve done a pretty good job over the years, going from Neverwinter to Icewind Dale to Menzoberranzan, and all the way to Avernus and back!

Thomas: Star Trek is famously a franchise about exploration, discovery, empathy, peace, and understanding. So, as a game in a very combat-focused genre, it can be challenging to square that circle! We have to give players cool gear and starships to fly, and we need to include exciting opportunities that make good use of all that cool stuff - but we’re also very aware of the fact that a Starfleet officer should treat combat as the last resort.

This is, I think, why so many of our storylines have focused on massive threats like V’Ger, the Iconians, or the Borg. As an underdog against an unrelenting aggressor, Starfleet is usually on the back foot. But even in these scenarios, we ultimately conclude the story’s arc with a non-violent resolution where there is a triumph of empathy and a path forward to peace.

MMOBomb: Does collaborating in such a way put restrictions on things you might like to do? For instance, we understand you’ve been plotting out the roadmap for both games. Is there something that you’ve considered that had to be nixed because of plans for the shows or books?

Randy: There are definitely times when we have to pivot or adjust based on broader plans for the IP. That’s just part of working in a shared universe. But honestly, those constraints often lead to better ideas. They force you to be more creative within the space you have. It’s less about things being “nixed” and more about finding opportunities that align with both our goals and the larger direction of the IP.

Thomas: Yeah, this has happened in the past! Certain ideas have been modified because Paramount was planning on doing something else with a character, for example. But as I said before, it’s all something we take in stride, and in my experience, those kinds of challenges end up creating a better product in the end anyway, because you get really creative as you start to reassess your plan and consider your options.

MMOBomb: Is there anything special that you hope players are getting out of the games?

Randy: At its core, I want players to feel like heroes in a living world. That means memorable adventures, meaningful progression, and moments where you feel like your character matters. Whether you’re diving into a dungeon, exploring a new zone, or playing through story content, the goal is for players to feel immersed and invested and having fun!

Thomas: I do hope that people get the sense of being “in” Star Trek, as I said earlier. As a lifelong Star Trek fan, there’s nothing I wanted more than to be on the Enterprise myself, and so if we can give people a way to experience a slice of that feeling, I’d say we’re accomplishing our mission. Beyond that, I do think it’s also important to understand that in the broader sense, MMOs are communities and “watering holes” for people to relax and socialize in. I love that Star Trek Online can be that place for Star Trek fans!

MMOBomb: Is there anything in particular in the works that you believe will really resonate with players?

Randy: Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, we’re putting a lot of focus on improving core player experience. That includes things like progression clarity, inventory management, and making dungeons feel more rewarding and engaging.

On the content side, we’re continuing to build out new adventures that lean into classic D&D themes. The next module is a great example! Let’s just say… You might want to bring a heavy coat when you head into the adventure zone.

Beyond that, we’re also looking at dungeon revamps and continuing to iterate on classes to make sure they feel fun and distinct. There’s a lot in motion right now, and the goal is to make sure players feel that momentum in every update.

Thomas: Our First Contact Day event features a powerful version of the Sovereign-class starship that players have been asking about for a long time, and its 5/3 weapons loadout is sure to be a hit. This is something we’re making very specifically because we know so many people have asked for it, and I’m very proud of the fact that we’re making it an event reward, which means that with regular play, you can earn it for free.

Beyond that, we’ve already started working on our next big content update, which I hope will surprise and delight everyone. It’s really too early to go too deep into exactly what that is, but it’s something I can’t wait for you all to explore when it’s ready!