What's next for Warframe and Soulframe now that Digital Extremes' CEO is stepping down?

Major changes are taking place at Canadian developer Digital Extremes. Almost 30 years on from founding the studio, CEO James Schmalz is stepping down from his role as CEO. In his place, 24-year company veteran and Soulframe game director Steve Sinclair will be taking the reins.

Schmalz created Digital Extremes all the way back in 1993 and has played a significant role in video game history during his time at the helm. First creating Epic Pinball, he'd go on to form Digital Extremes and partner with Epic Games on the Unreal franchise of games. Following a successful period on the once-illustrious FPS franchise, the company would eventually move on to its own IP with Dark Sector in 2008.

It was only after doing some mercenary work on various external projects including Bioshock's PS3 port and the excellent Darkness 2, that Warframe would come to life in 2013. This game would not only stand out as one of the primordial games in the now-gargantuan western live service market, it would also kick off a period of extended growth for the company.

Schmalz leaves the company following a series of significant developments for it. Having been acquired by Tencent in 2020, the studio announced its first new game in close to a decade with Soulframe, as well as dip its toes into publishing with the reveal of Wayfinder, spreading their brand of free-to-play collection-focused multiplayer games beyond the Sci-fi borders established by Warframe.

The following statement from Schmalz has been shared via a Digital Extremes blog post announcing the role change: "It’s been a long journey from Epic Pinball to Soulframe [...] I feel immensely privileged to have been able to play my part in shaping our industry; building our stellar team has been a fulfilling life work. I feel in Steve we have the ideal leader to take us and our growing community of players into a new era and can’t wait to see what can be accomplished under his leadership."

This is followed by a statement from new CEO Steve Sinclair, who wrote the following: "I’d like to join the rest of the DE team and our community in thanking James for all he’s done. James saying ‘yes’ to Warframe in 2012 and boldly committing to making it work changed the trajectory of our company. James believed - and continues to believe - in our team when no one else would, and established one of the most community-oriented and player-focused studios in the world."

"Making great games with a team that values a culture of positivity, dignity, and high performance is our goal. I’m humbled and nervous to lead this amazing company; for now I’ll throw my ‘Lunaro 2’ notes in the trash so we can remain focused on our commitment to surprise and delight audiences around the world."

Okay, so what does this mean for Digital Extremes, Warframe, and Soulframe? Well, it's worth noting that Schmalz isn't evaporating into thin air, he'll be remaining on the company board "contributing insight and guidance", according to the official blog. Sinclair certainly garnered a popular reputation among the Warframe community during his tenure as director, before passing the torch to current Warframe director Rebecca Ford.

Sinclair taking the role of CEO is a fairly clear message to those invested in the company - financially or otherwise - that company culture and direction will remain consistent. With 24 years at the company Sinclair is as much a part of DE as the chairs and tables at the office. There's no way to know for sure, of course, but it indicates that the big projects underway at DE wouldn't be undergoing any drastic changes in direction.

As for Warframe, that game is firmly in the hands of Ford ever since Sinclair departed from his role on that game. As CEO he'd of course have influence over it, but given his continued public support of the game and its team, it's seemingly unlikely he'll be tinkering with it too much.

As for Soulframe, this is where things get interesting. Back when Sinclair departed from the Warframe team he wrote the following in a letter to the community: "I want to spend as much time with Soulframe as I have with Warframe. My beard only has so much black left in it."

Given that he's now taking up CEO responsibilities, you've got to wonder how his time will be split between directing the game and running the company. Obviously, he's not a one-man-band making the game, but judging by his previously expressed personal involvement in the themes and wider creation of Soulframe, one can only assume he'll want to stay firmly involved in the project.

In short, while it's impossible to know what the future holds, it's safe to assume that Digital Extremes, Warframe, and Soulframe will continue rolling down the tracks they've been moving down in recent years. Good news for current fans of the games, probably good news for its owners who've been riding along as it's slowly grown over the years, and obviously good news for Sinclair, who has probably found himself a healthy bump in salary.

If you'd like to catch up on the latest in the world of Digital Extremes, a lot of cool updates are in the works. Warframe 1999 was teased at this year's Tennocon, and we got a lush gameplay demo of Soulframe too!