Mikael Nermark, CEO of troubled Starbreeze, has stepped down. Nermark took on the acting role to replace Bo Andersson Klint in 2018, one of the original founders of the studio. Many would point to business decisions from the latter CEO as a primary cause for many issues.
The reasons are left to personal issues, and it seems to be a somewhat amicable split, given the situation. Starbreeze has been through the wringer for the last few years, as more and more financial problems have mounted for the publisher. The most well-known troubles culminated in the massive flop that was the launch of failed zombie title Overkill’s The Walking Dead. The troubled development of the title ended with a massive layoff and dim financial prospects.
The fusion of Overkill and Starbreeze that was born of the white-hot success of PayDay 2 was supposed to be a saving grace and instead turned into a nightmare. The big zed title basically ended up killing the studios that the publisher had acquired amid a sea of other bad business deals. Everything from a half-finished game engine that had to be abandoned to a failed VR venture plagued this company. Despite all the myriad problems, the company managed to seemingly bounce back, undergoing a financial refocusing late last year.
“I would like to thank Mikael for his efforts during many years at Starbreeze. Mikael has had a big role in the company’s development and today Starbreeze stands stronger with a full focus on PAYDAY ” says Torgny Hellström, Chairman of the Board
Tobias Sjögren was originally tapped to replace Mikael Nermark but it has been decided that the board will seek outside talent. Sjögren will remain as interim CEO until that new head is found.
Source: Press Release
