Paradox Interactive secures former EA SVP Rod Humble to manage new California studio, Paradox Tectonic

Former executive vice president Rod Humble has joined Paradox Interactive to lead new studio, Paradox Tectonic.

Paradox Tectonic – which will operate in Berkeley, California – is "the newest member of the Stockholm-based publisher’s team of studios". While the firm confirms the development of a brand-new game and IP is underway, full details will be announced at a later date.

"Opening a studio in the California Bay Area puts us in the heart of one of the largest gaming and tech communities in the world," said Ebba Ljungerud, CEO of Paradox Interactive. "Rod Humble and his team bring a wealth of experience and a studio leader who has led work on games that have shaped the industry several times over. We hope to have some earth-shaking news to share from the Tectonic team soon."

"Our aim with Paradox Tectonic is to create open, fun, beautiful games which respect the players’ intelligence and enables their creativity, freedom, emotion, and sharing," said Humble, who had previously been CEO of Linden Lab, creators of Second Life.

"Our studio structure is using best practices for modern development: a flat organization in a low-friction environment with a team of highly experienced domain experts. It’s a privilege to be reunited with so many world-class colleagues from so many triple-A projects, and the team and I are delighted to join Paradox and be part of driving the company’s next cycle of growth. Our shared values of quality and putting the customer first made Paradox the perfect fit for us."

Paradox Interactive recently announced it has acquired all the rights and assets for the intellectual property Prison Architect. As well as taking ownership of the Prison Architect from Introversion Software on all platforms – currently Nintendo Switch, PC/Mac/Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, and mobile devices – the acquisition also permits Paradox to "explore opportunities with the wider Architect IP in the future".

Prison Architect simulates the construction and maintenance of a maximum security prison, from laying out cell blocks and inmate facilities to managing staff pay and prisoner morale. The game has won a BAFTA and sold over two million copies across PC and console.