Remedy Entertainment's new CEO is not pleasing a lot of fans

Not what you would expect for a studio focused on story-driven games

Remedy Entertainment has appointed a new CEO, and reactions online have been almost universally negative. Jean-Charles Gaudechon, whose previous employers include EA and the sports-betting site Sleeper, will step into the role on March 1. A Remedy news release on the announcement called him an "excellent fit to the current stage of Remedy’s business," but fans aren't so sure.

Remedy Entertainment has made a name for itself with critically-acclaimed games like the Alan Wake series and Control, though other releases like FBC: Firebreak have not fared as well. Following a profit warning issued to investors in Oct. 2025, Tero Virtala stepped down as CEO after almost a decade in the role, with Markus Mäki serving as temporary CEO during the transition.

From memes to full paragraphs of dissent, reactions to the new Remedy CEO have displayed very little confidence in the choice. Much of this pessimism comes from Gaudechon's career history. According to his LinkedIn page, when he worked at EA, a major part of his role was running live-service operations for flagship franchises like FIFA Mobile and FC Online. "Just what I like to hear about the new CEO of one of my favorite single player story driven studios. Remedy might be cooked," one Reddit user wrote. Another user on X joked that Remedy's next game will be a "pay to win Alan Wake gacha rhythm game."

Live service games can easily veer into predatory territory when it comes to getting players to spend money, as can sports-betting platforms like Sleeper, where Gaudechon worked for two years. He also spent two years at OneFootball, which doesn't offer direct betting, but does offer match odds that conveniently link to their licensed betting partner’s website. This employment history, paired with Gaudechon's statement that he wishes to "scale Remedy in a way that builds lasting value," have sounded alarm bells about what the company's future monetization strategies could look like.

Remedy's creative director Sam Lake posted in support of the new hire, saying that Gaudechon "very much understands our wildly unique vision," which has given some fans hope that Remedy won't be betraying its roots. With Control Resonant planned for release sometime this year, only time will tell what effects, if any, Gaudechon's appointment will have on Remedy Entertainment's signature style.