According to a press release, Jack Emmert has been appointed CEO of Cryptic Studios following the departure of John Needham. The former CEO left the company to "pursue other opportunities within the game industry."

Emmert, formerly Cryptic's COO, has already begun fulfilling his duties as CEO and is reporting directly to Atari CEO Jim Wilson.

"As a colleague, I am sad to see John go, but our vision remains clear," Emmert said. "Cryptic continues to develop great gaming experiences while ensuring the success of its current projects, Champions Online: Free for All, Star Trek Online and Neverwinter. I co-founded this company and am extremely proud of everything our teams have achieved. We will continue to set high goals for ourselves and under my leadership we will continue to meet them."