Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section and former Editor of GAMINGbible
It was a pleasure to meet Jack Emmert's cat, a handsome black-and-white chap called Oreo. As I spoke to the MMORPG veteran from his home earlier this month, his fluffy friend hopped up on the desk and hogged the screen, seemingly oblivious to the fact I was trying to speak to Jack about his return to Cryptic Studios after more than ten years away.
Not that Jack minded. Nor did I, for that matter. Oreo seems like a good dude. "My wife and I have done Cat Rescue through the years, and anybody who can't be adopted, we adopt," Jack told me, scratching Oreo behind the ear."This little guy would have been totally feral, but it took him years, and now look at him." Jack Emmert Is Back At Cryptic It's an exciting time to be an MMO fan It's clear passion is what has driven Jack to remain active in the industry for 30-plus years now. Jack originally founded Cryptic back in 2000 and designed the hit MMORPGs City of Heroes and City of Villains. Under his stewardship, Cryptic would go on to create Marvel Universe Online and Star Trek Online. Jack left Cryptic in 2016, first to produce DC Universe Online, and then to partner with NetEase to create Jackalyptic Games in 2016. So, the obvious first question to ask: what brings Jack back to the studio he first founded 26 years ago? "My goal is to build Cryptic for the next 26 years, and it's difficult as one of its founders and as its former CEO and to let it go right at the end of the day," he explained."It was never just about being an employee, because I wasn't, and so it's kind of like coming home again. But I know a lot more than I did, and I'm really thankful for the experiences that I do believe I needed to leave when I did, because I needed to learn the lessons that I had to learn."Ten years is a long time in any scenario, of course, but in gaming it feels like an eternity. In the last decade we've had multiple console generations, huge leaps in technology, and one Grand Theft Auto game. What has Jack learned in his time away, and is the studio he left the same studio he's returned to? "I think that I was more of a force of nature when I was younger," Jack considered."Probably not as willing to listen to other people, And I was more, I wouldn't say tyrannical, but maybe I was a little bit more force of personality, and what I learned is that, and I think that was born out of the fact that at Cryptic I was one of its founders, and I was its lead designer, and so I took a lot of ownership, probably more than I should have, over those games successes, and I allowed that to dictate the way that I viewed my own company. "And in retrospect, now that I've gone and worked on other games where I've worked with people who have done amazing things with their products, and I'm like, 'Well, geez, you know, really, I'm just one part of a much bigger machine', and that it's to my detriment if I don't open up my ears and shut my mouth sometimes."Cryptic has changed a lot, in that there aren't a lot of people there left from when I was there. So there's a lot of new blood, a lot of maturation of processes. I think we were more 'shoot from the hip' 10 years ago, because I was, but they're doing things like tracking their tasks and scheduling, real grown-up stuff. So I think that was the part I was really happy to see. Still, there's the love for the games, and a lot of camaraderie within the studio, which is very edifying." Jack's Got Big Plans For Cryptic MMORPG fans should take note Clearly Jack agreed to return to Cryptic because he had some big plans. Long-time fans of Cryptic's games will no doubt be relieved to hear a commitment to making sure the studio's existing games such as Neverwinter and Star Trek Online, continue to be worth players' time and money, and continue to reach new heights. "I think in the first year at least, my focus right now is to really make sure that the games that we have are focused on the player, and that they're fun, that we're delivering quality content that is worth the time and the money that's being spent, Jack said."I'll tell you right now, and this is where I'm going to brag. I was the person who played both Star Trek and Neverwinter more than anyone in our studio. And I have the server logs to prove it. I joined the QA team for Neverwinter before we shipped and played every ounce of content, every single raid, over and over, because I wanted to make sure I knew those games like the back of my hand. Because I feel if I'm that passionate about it, it can only help, right? So that's my number one goal right now."He continued:"The number one thing that a game has to be is genuine, so its fans know that. Look, Star Trek is going to have bugs, but there is not a single person who plays Star Trek Online that doesn't think that we love Star Trek. Same thing with Neverwinter. There is no question that whoever made this game was a massive DND there, and that this isn't just the work of some devs on an IP. This is the work of people who love them. My entire career has been about trying to bring alive for other people the passions that I have." The Warhammer MMO That Never Was This one hurts While working with Netease, Jack and his studio were working on a Warhammer 40K MMO. Funding for the project was pulled in 2025, though many of the team that worked on it maintain they'd created something really special, and are proud of what they accomplished. Where does Jack stand on the cancellation now that he's had some time to process it? "The big thing that I want to say is that I enjoyed my time at Netease," Jack said."I've learned an awful lot from the people in China. I hired a fantastic team whom I give the highest recommendations for. I grew as a person, a CEO and a father and a husband, and I'll never forget it. I'll also never forget Games Workshop, who are lovely, but at the same time, it ran its course and I had to come to terms with that." "I have lots of other passions that I have in my life. My goal is to pick another one and bring it to life." Jack admitted that he was in a"pretty dark place" immediately after the MMO's cancellation, but that the invitation to return to Cryptic served as something of a lifeline. Subscribe to our newsletter for MMOs and industry insight Get deeper coverage: subscribe to the newsletter for close looks at MMO comebacks, studio strategies, canceled projects and the creators shaping games — and broader gaming stories and analysis beyond this topic. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. "What am I going to do? Am I going to go apply for a job? I've never applied for jobs in my life," he explained."What am I going to do? I'm old. Who's going to hire me? I don't know. And this came up, and, man, I don't know if people are spiritual or whatever, but wow, that's all I can say. I mean, it's hard to describe the emotion being asked to come back to Cryptic. In that moment, when it was darkest, it was like a beam of light." His experience on Warhammer 40K aside, Jack absolutely isn't ruling out continuing to work with established IPs. Whether that means a Warhammer MMO could finally happen under Cryptic is something Jack won't discuss at this stage, but it's obvious from the models on his shelf behind him that his love of this particular IP remains unabated. "I have lots of other passions that I have in my life," he said."My goal is to pick another one and bring it to life. I'm 57 so I got maybe one or two more shots!"
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