New Leadership at EMERGENCY Developers: Jan Richter Takes Over from Studio Founder Ralph Stock at Sixteen Tons Entertainment
Tübingen/Karlsruhe, Germany, August 1, 2024 | Phoenix Games, a global gaming enterprise specializing in the acquisition and enhancement of game studios, today announces a major leadership change at Sixteen Tons Entertainment, a developer studio acquired in 2020. Ralph Stock, the founder and former CEO, is stepping down and passing the torch to Jan Richter, who brings over 15 years of industry experience and was most recently Head of Product and Design at ZeptoLab.
Sixteen Tons Entertainment is the flagship brand of Promotion Software, established in 1993. Over the past three decades, the company has produced numerous award-winning games for PC, smartphones, consoles, and handhelds. The Tübingen-based studio is especially renowned for its EMERGENCY series, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
"I look back with gratitude and a bit of pride on the past three decades, where we've created innovative games that have delighted players worldwide. With the EMERGENCY franchise, we've certainly brought fresh ideas to the real-time strategy genre and established a brand that has endured," says Ralph Stock, founder and former CEO. "I am pleased to hand over the studio to Jan's capable hands. It feels reassuring to know that my life's work will be carried on by Phoenix and Sixteen Tons. I look forward to many more successful games from this outstanding team."
Jan Richter will assume the role of CEO at Sixteen Tons Entertainment on August 1, 2024. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in developing successful titles at EA, Bigpoint, Mighty Bear Games, and ZeptoLab. "I’m really excited to take on the leadership of Sixteen Tons Entertainment and continue the amazing work Ralph has done. Using my background in F2P and mobile games, I can’t wait to help this fantastic studio grow even more and achieve new milestones," says Jan Richter.
Since its acquisition by Phoenix Games in January 2020 and subsequent optimization efforts in the F2P sector, Sixteen Tons Entertainment has significantly increased its profits and set new titles in the series, such as EMERGENCY HQ, on a successful path.
"With Jan, we've found the perfect person to kick off a new chapter in the studio's long and successful history," says Klaas Kersting, CEO of Phoenix Games. "Jan brings the perfect expertise to guide Sixteen Tons Entertainment into a bright future. With years of experience leading teams in developing new free-to-play games, he knows how to keep live operations running smoothly and sustainably at a high level. I'm confident that the studio will continue to create outstanding games that will captivate both longtime fans and new players across various platforms."
Under new leadership, Sixteen Tons Entertainment remains committed to its successful EMERGENCY franchise and continues to focus on creating engaging real-time strategy games with diverse content and innovative gameplay elements. Last year's PC game EMERGENCY builds on the successful concepts of its predecessors and expands them consistently. Mobile titles such as EMERGENCY Operator and EMERGENCY HQ round out the portfolio, allowing fans of the long-standing game series to embark on exciting missions on the go.
About Sixteen Tons Entertainment
Founded in 1993, Sixteen Tons Entertainment has consistently set standards in digital game design with titles such as MAD NEWS and the globally successful EMERGENCY series. Games in the EMERGENCY series have received numerous international awards. Sixteen Tons Entertainment is a label of Promotion Software GmbH. The company was acquired by Phoenix Games in 2020.
For more information, visit www.sixteen-tons.de.
About Phoenix Games
Phoenix Games is a globally operating games company specialized in acquiring and enhancing game studios. With its proprietary AI-based Uplift Platform and by adding know-how, talent and resources to a portfolio of fully-owned studios, the company ensures an improved reach, performance and monetization of the studios' existing games. This enables founders to transcend industry barriers and reach the full potential of their games and intellectual property. As we expand, Phoenix Games is on the lookout for game development studios with live portfolios, eager to extend their reach and unlock their potential.
Discover more at www.phoenixgames.com.