Pinnacle Entertainment Group has announced that Simon Lucas has officially assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer. The transition formalises a responsibilities structure that has been in place since early 2025, when former Chief Operating Officer Jodi Black stepped down to become the company’s Lead Editor before her passing. Simon Lucas, who was previously serving as Vice President, stepped in to manage most operations during that period, with support from Chris Landauer and Darrell Hayhurst.
The appointment marks a permanent leadership structure for the Chandler, Arizona-based publisher behind the Savage Worlds roleplaying games system. The studio confirmed that Simon Lucas will now fully expand his leadership role from overseeing game production to directing the company’s wider day-to-day business operations and customer-facing strategies.
The transition follows a challenging period for the independent publisher. The leadership changes began dynamically in 2025 when Jodi Black shifted focus to editorial duties due to severe health struggles, prompting a community-led support campaign before she passed away. The formalisation of Simon Lucas as Chief Operating Officer establishes long-term administrative stability for the studio as it navigates its current crowdfunding commitments and production schedules.
Founded in 1994, Pinnacle Entertainment Group originally launched with historical miniatures and card games before establishing its flagship horror-western franchise, Deadlands, in 1996. The studio has spent over three decades building an independent publishing framework that has grown into a prominent industry fixture, managed by a core team of long-term creators. Simon Lucas himself has worked alongside Shane Hensley for nearly twenty years, previously steering production values to match those of major corporate publishers in the tabletop space.
The cornerstone of the publisher’s modern catalogue is Savage Worlds, a core generic ruleset designed to be fast to play and easy to run across a wide range of genres. The game serves as the foundational mechanics system for all of Pinnacle’s official settings. Beyond internal worlds like Deadlands, the system hosts official adaptations of popular external universes, including Pathfinder for Savage Worlds and Rifts for Savage Worlds, maintaining a distinct presence in the global tabletop industry.
