New Remedy CEO discusses prioritising own IP and learning from its mistakes

Remedy’s new CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon says the studio will prioritize its own IP going forward, with a sharper focus on Control, Alan Wake, and the broader value of its existing franchises. The shift comes after Firebreak, Remedy’s first self-published game, underperformed commercially and forced the company to revise its FY25 outlook.

The practical takeaway is that even a respected studio can misjudge how hard it is to move into a new genre or go self-published at a smaller scale. Remedy took a €14.9 million non-cash impairment tied to Firebreak, and Gaudechon framed that as a learning moment around genre fit, positioning, community management, and the realities of consumer sales on PC.

For developers, this is a useful case study in scope and strategy. Remedy isn’t saying “never experiment,” but it is drawing a line around what it believes it does best: narrative, single-player, and highly authored IP. Gaudechon explicitly said the studio doesn’t want to chase markets like free-to-play mobile unless they build directly on core strengths.

The other big piece is transmedia. Remedy’s 2024 deal with Annapurna is meant to help Control Resonant and the wider Remedy universe reach audiences beyond games, which the company sees as part of fixing underperformance on titles like Alan Wake and Control. That’s a reminder that for premium IP, audience expansion can be as important as the next sequel.