Jack Emmert Says Cryptic’s Current MMOs Come First Before Any New Project

Jack Emmert says Cryptic Studios is focused on its existing MMOs before it makes any call on what comes next. In a GamesIndustry.biz interview, the studio head said Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Champions Online remain the priority after a turbulent stretch for the company.

Emmert, whose MMO credits include City of Heroes, Star Trek Online, Neverwinter, Champions Online, and DC Universe Online, argued that the audience for MMOs is still there. His read is that the genre’s problem isn’t demand, but scope. Big publishers, he said, often try to build a World of Warcraft-scale project with huge budgets and too many features, then end up with games that lack a clear identity.

His preferred model is much smaller and more focused: pick a specific audience, build around a clear loop, launch with enough to make that loop work, then expand steadily. He used Neverwinter as an example, boiling its pitch down to “kill stuff and take loot.” Not glamorous, but it’s still running more than a decade later.

That thinking also shapes how he talks about repetition. Emmert said players don’t necessarily need a massive pile of unique dungeons at launch if the rewards and progression are strong enough. What matters, in his view, is giving players a reason to keep running content, then adding more on a regular cadence after release.

For Cryptic, that means rebuilding confidence around its live games first. The studio has changed hands several times over the years, moving through Atari, Perfect World, Embracer, and then Arc Games after a 2025 management buyout. Emmert said the team wants a real plan before deciding whether Cryptic eventually tackles another MMO, a single-player RPG, or something else.

It’s a notably restrained take from one of the genre’s longtime names. Less “next great MMO,” more “make something sustainable and keep it alive.” Given how many expensive online games have struggled to hold their footing, that may be the safer bet.