Steve Sinclair Takes Over As CEO Of Warframe Developer Digital Extremes [Updated]

Steve Sinclair, who previously worked as creative director on the studio's flagship MMO, Warframe, is now taking the mantle of CEO of Digital Extremes. This comes after long-time CEO and Founder of Digital Extremes, James Schmalz, steps down from his role.

The move was announced today via Digital Extreme's corporate blog, with Sinclair assuming the CEO duties effective immediately. James founded Digital Extremes almost 30 years ago and won't be leaving the company he started fully, as he'll be staying on as part of the board of directors.

"It’s been a long journey from Epic Pinball to Soulframe," Schmalz says in a statement on the blog post. "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.”

We’re thrilled to announce Steve Sinclair (who led development on Warframe and leads development on Soulframe) will assume the role of CEO of Digital Extremes!Heartfelt thanks to our founder and outgoing leader James Schmalz, who will remain on the board https://t.co/z4bnSK1hbF

— Digital Extremes (@DigitalExtremes) October 24, 2023

Steve Sinclair is likely best known for his work on Warframe, the sci-fi MMO that helped bring Digital Extremes in front of a more mainstream audience over the years. Sinclair has worked at the studio for 24 years and, most recently, is helming the team building the next game in Digital Extremes' portfolio, Soulframe. The upcoming RPG was shown off more fully during a gameplay reveal at this year's TennoCon, with Sinclair and Creative Director Geoff Crookes walking attendees through the demo.

What this move means for Sinclairs direct involvement in Soulframe moving forward is unclear. We've contacted our Digital Extremes PR rep for clarification and will update this story once we hear back.

[Update 10:55am PT/1:55pm ET] Our rep for Digital Extremes just got back to us, and as of now, there is no shake-up planned for Soulframe's development - Sinclair will serve as CEO and continue to lead the Soulframe team in his normal capacity alongside Creative Director Geoff Crookes.