After close to a decade leading Remedy Entertainment through some of its most defining years, Tero Virtala has officially stepped down as CEO. The announcement comes amid a period of transition for the Finnish studio, following the disappointing launch of FBC: Firebreak—a multiplayer spin-off of Control that struggled to find an audience after release.

Remedy confirmed that Markus Mäki, one of the company’s founding members and current Executive Producer, will take over as interim CEO while the board begins its search for a long-term successor.

Virtala’s tenure began in 2016, during a time when Remedy was best known for narrative-driven, single-player experiences like Alan Wake and Max Payne. Over the years, he oversaw a significant evolution within the company. Remedy shifted from being primarily a work-for-hire developer to a multi-project studio, taking greater creative and financial control of its own intellectual properties.

Under Virtala’s leadership, Remedy launched Control in 2019 one of the studio’s most acclaimed titles to date earning numerous awards and helping cement the studio’s distinct identity. The success of Alan Wake II in 2023 further reinforced Remedy’s reputation for atmospheric, story-rich experiences, even as the company experimented with new directions.

However, not all of those experiments paid off. FBC: Firebreak, Remedy’s first major foray into the live-service space, faced a lukewarm reception from critics and players alike. The game’s poor commercial performance led to a profit warning earlier this year, and industry analysts have suggested that this stumble may have played a role in Virtala’s departure.

In a brief statement, Remedy’s board thanked Virtala for his years of service and praised his role in guiding the company through a period of rapid growth and creative reinvention. “Tero’s leadership helped shape Remedy into the studio it is today,” the statement read. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

Markus Mäki, who has been with Remedy since its early days, is now tasked with steering the company through a delicate transition. With the Control 2 sequel and Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake still in development, maintaining stability will be crucial as Remedy re-evaluates its strategy moving forward.

Internally, sources suggest the focus may shift back toward what Remedy does best high-concept, narrative-driven action games rather than multiplayer experimentation. That pivot could help the company regain momentum and reaffirm the creative identity that made it stand out in the first place.

Virtala’s departure closes a defining chapter in Remedy’s history. His leadership coincided with both some of the studio’s biggest creative highs and its most challenging business pivots. Now, with its next major releases still in production and a leadership shake-up underway, Remedy stands at a crossroads balancing ambition with the need to deliver on the strengths that made fans fall in love with its worlds in the first place.