The winds of change are blowing through Splash Damage after the company announced that its co-founder and long-serving Splash Damage CEO would be stepping down after 17 years at the helm. The exact reasons behind Paul Wedgwood’d resignation aren’t clear, though he’ll be replaced by the company’s other co-founder, Richard Jolly, who will be taking over Wedgwood’s responsibilities as CEO.
The change of leadership comes after Wedgwood led the company through the release of titles like Gears of War 4, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (which Jolly was creative director on), and its current development on a new Gears of War title with The Coalition. While it’s a major change for the company, Splash Damage has confirmed that there won’t be any other changes to the executive team.
Rather than staying on as a consultant or taking up another role, it seems that Wedgwood has instead chosen to leave the company (via gamesindustry.biz). In a statement confirming his appointment as CEO, Richard Jolly paid tribute to Wedgwood, saying that “he’s taught me a huge amount, and leaves us with a lasting legacy that ensures that employee and player happiness is central to everything we do.”
As for how Wedgwood’s void and Jolly’s new leadership means for Splash Damage as a whole, well, it seems like it’ll be business as usual. Jolly explained that “we’ll have new developments to announce, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to.” We know that development of the new Gears of War title is ongoing, though as for what the other projects the company is working on are, we’ll have to wait and see.
Wedgwood hasn’t spoken about his resignation yet and what he’ll do in the future remains unclear. Hopefully we’ll see him return to the games industry in one capacity or another in the near future, though when that’ll be is anyone’s guess at the moment.
