A New CEO Has Alan Wake 2 Fans Sounding The Enshittification Alarm

I noted yesterday that Remedy Entertainment was getting a new CEO. Sam Lake, the auteur behind the ever-expanding “Remedyverse,” seemed to approve, writing, “He very much understands our wildly unique vision and the value of the Remedy Connected Universe.” Or was Lake just trying to get ahead of any potential friction by speaking up for him?

Fans quickly looked into Jean-Charles Gaudechon’s existing resume and became increasingly freaked out. “My commitment is to protect what makes it special, deliver exceptional games, and scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value,” he told investors this week. Insert Homer Simpson drooling: “Mmmm, lasting value.”

“Headed EA’s free-to-play studio, leading Battlefield Heroes among other major successful titles and shaping live-service and F2P practices later adopted across EA,” reads part of Gaudechon’s LinkedIn profile. Most recently he served as an SVP at OneFootball, a sports media platform for gambling. The month before he left in 2024, it launched an in-app marketplace.

“Enshittification incoming” is how one fan responded on a popular Reddit thread. “It’s not a lake. It is a Season Pass,” read one of the most upvoted comments. “That CEO is basically the herald of darkness. What is the next game? Max Pay?” Others are hoping for the best and trying to give Gaudechon a chance to prove he’s pivoting to the creative vision that’s made Remedy great and not pivoting Remedy to what he thinks will make it the most money.

The leadership change comes six months after the company issued a profit warning after live-service Control spin-off FBC: Firebreak ended up flopping. Let’s give Gaudechon the last word: “We will stay close to players, earn their time and trust, and strengthen our independence in how we build and publish our games, while continuing to work closely with the partners who have supported us along the way.”