Neverwinter, Star Trek Online and Champions Online veterans have rejoined Cryptic Studios
The MMO studio says it’s “unifying legacy expertise with fresh perspectives”
A number of veteran developers who led on Cryptic Studios titles in the past have rejoined the MMO developer.
Jack Emmert, who was previously CEO of Cryptic Studios through its most successful era, returned to the studio in January 2026, again stepping into the CEO role.
Emmert led Cryptic during the original release of Star Trek Online, Neverwinter and Champions Online, before leaving the studio in 2016. Since then he’s worked on other notable MMOs including DC Universe Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and the Everquest Series.
Emmert has been also joined by Landon Falls and Julia Sprenz, both of whom had senior roles at the studio in the past and are now returning to work on the studio’s most popular ongoing games.
Landon Falls was originally at Cryptic between 2009 and 2019, where he started off as a QA platform tester and worked his way up to a producer role on the studio’s short-lived Magic: Legends.
Falls joined Emmert’s studio Jackalyptic Games, where he took on lead producer and executive producer roles. He’s now returned to Cryptic as the new executive producer on the Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter, where he will be leading the game’s future direction.
Julia Sprenz was also at Cryptic for around a decade, having worked there from October 2015 to February 2025. During this time she was the primary live developer for Champions Online, where she handled “events, missions, character customization, systems design, monetization, visual effects, quality assurance, scheduling, and asset review and integration from start to finish”.
Sprenz has now returned to Cryptic and will once again be working on Champions Online, returning to a game designer role on the title.
As well as the return of Emmert, Falls and Sprenz, longtime Cryptic employee Thomas Marrone has also been made the new executive producer on Star Trek Online.
Marrone was previously the art director on Star Trek Online, and some of his starship models have been used in the TV show Star Trek: Picard.
Now, Marrone has stepped into the executive producer role on the game, where he says he will “direct a multi-national team of passionate developers across all skill levels as we continue to explore the beloved Star Trek universe with a loyal and dedicated player base”.
“With the return of seasoned veterans and the momentum of team members driving recent major updates, Cryptic Studios is unifying legacy expertise with fresh perspectives,” the studio says. “This moment marks a renewed vision for the studio: honoring its roots while evolving in bold new ways.”
