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Cryptozoic co-founder John Nee steps down as CEO, Shahriar Fouladi takes on role
Cryptozoic Entertainment co-founder John Nee has stepped down as CEO of the board game, TCG and comics publisher, with veteran team member Shahriar Fouladi taking on leadership of the business.
Nee created Cryptozoic in 2010 alongside Cory Jones, Scott Gaeta and John Sepenuk, and became CEO in February 2023 after Sepenuk’s sudden death of a heart attack while kite-surfing.
Fouladi built a career as a published author and lecturer on superheroes, film, and television before joining Cryptozoic in 2014, beginning as a writer and editor and rising to become director of communications.
He briefly left the business in late 2020 to work on student financial incentives app Learn & Earn, before returning eight months later as Cryptozoic’s director of product marketing.
Nee, who will continue as CEO of Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide and chief business officer at CCG Lab, said, “Shahriar’s journey is remarkable. He learned every corner of the business, treated people with respect, and never lost sight of the fans. He’s earned this role, and I have total confidence in his vision for the future.”
Fellow co-founder Cory Jones added, “Through every industry and company challenge, Shahriar has been the calm in the storm.
“He makes smart calls, weighs the facts, and never stops pushing to make our products the best for fans. That obsession sets him apart – and it’s why we believe he’ll take Cryptozoic to the next level.”
Fouladi said, “When I arrived at Cryptozoic 11 years ago, I was looking for a new career path, and John Nee put his trust in me from day one.,
“I’ll always be grateful to John, Cory Jones, John Sepenuk, and my late friend Matt Hoffman for their mentorship. They shaped how I see this company.
“As CEO, my mission is simple: keep making the kinds of games, trading cards, and collectibles we’re all excited about. I’m a pop culture fan through and through, and that energy will always define Cryptozoic.”
He added on his LinkedIn page, “I still pinch myself that I get to do what I love – creating games, trading cards, and collectibles based on my favorite IPs, and bringing people joy through what we make.
“As CEO, my goals are simple: create amazing experiences for fans, be a great partner to our licensors, and keep Cryptozoic a place filled with creativity, laughter, and balance for the team that makes it all possible.
“The year ahead is incredibly exciting. 2026 will bring some of our best products yet. I can’t wait to share what’s coming.”
Cryptozoic launched in 2010 with a slate of experience across its founding team, with Nee having previously been senior VP of business development at DC Comics, Jones the director of global business development and licensing at video game giant Blizzard Entertainment, and Gaeta a senior global director at trading card specialist Upper Deck.
The company kicked off its operations by picking up the license for the World of Warcraft TCG, which Upper Deck had lost after five years of making the game – a major coup, as at that point the Blizzard’s World of Warcraft MMO was at its greatest height, having reached a peak of 12 million subscribers in 2010.
Cryptozoic quickly expanded out into licensed board games and party games, and has found ongoing success with its DC Deck-Building Game and Epic Spell Wars ranges.
The company raised more than $1.6m on Kickstarter for Adventure Time Card Wars 2025 earlier this year, while other big Kickstarter successes for the business have included Ghostbusters: The Board Game, which pulled in over $1.5m from more than 8,300 backers, and Adventure Time: The Roleplaying Game ($1.6m from almost 7,700 backers).
Two years ago Cryptozoic apologised to some of its artists after being called out for having gone months without paying them, saying the shock death of then-CEO John Sepenuk “significantly disrupted” its operations.
Cryptozoic had been accused of similar behaviour in the past, with the company making a public apology two years earlier for delayed payments for artwork used on its Middle Earth and Crisis on Infinite Earths trading cards.
