The Board of Directors of Stockholm-based publisher Paradox Interactive AB has appointed current Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 4 January 2027. Mattias Lilja will succeed Fredrik Wester, who has decided to step down from the operational top job to concentrate on long-term strategy and commercial development as a member of the Board of Directors.
Fredrik Wester remains the company’s largest individual shareholder and will continue serving as CEO through the remainder of 2026 to manage an orderly handover. The leadership reshuffle formalises a division of labour established in 2021, when Lilja took charge of internal publishing operations while Wester steered corporate governance.
Operational roots across strategy and publishing
Mattias Lilja joined Paradox Interactive in 2009 as the Swedish publisher’s very first producer. Across seventeen years with the business, he has directed Paradox’s internal studio structure, run its global publishing division, and served as Chief Operating Officer before returning as Deputy CEO alongside Wester in 2021.
During his publishing and production tenures, the company delivered key pillars of its PC and console simulation catalogue, including Stellaris, Hearts of Iron IV, and the original Cities: Skylines. Paradox reports that its global titles reach approximately six million monthly active players across North America, Western Europe, and Asia.
Fredrik Wester, CEO (current) at Paradox Interactive, said in a statement:
I’m truly grateful to all our engaged players and talented colleagues who contribute to outstanding gaming experiences every day. They are the ones who made these years amazing. My plan was never to be CEO for life. The goal was to build the foundation before passing the baton on for the next chapter in the company’s journey. Since I returned as CEO, we’ve streamlined our strategy, rebuilt our pipeline and developed our commercial offering. Mattias has had a central role in laying this foundation, and now is the right time to hand over. Given his experience and vision, he is exceptionally well positioned to take the company to its next level.”
Håkan Sjunnesson, Chairman of the Board at Paradox Interactive, said in a statement:
The Board wants to thank Fredrik for his visionary leadership and outstanding contributions over these years. As a result, Paradox is in a strong position at a time when much of the industry is facing major challenges. We look forward to continuing to collaborate closely on the Board. Mattias is the right person to lead the company going forward. He combines a strong vision with deep operational and commercial expertise; he is more than ready to assume the role and lead Paradox towards new gaming experiences that last for decades.”
Mattias Lilja, (incoming) CEO at Paradox Interactive, said in a statement:
I approach this role with great humility. Paradox has a unique DNA that has made us one of the greats in deep and engaging strategy and management games. Now we’re stepping up the pace: we will make further investments in our core business, push the boundaries of our game design, work even more closely with our loyal players, develop more and better tools and services that benefit both modders and players, and continue to sharpen our ways of working and our organisation, with player value in focus.”
The White Wolf and World of Darkness Reality
While the official market disclosure concentrates on PC grand strategy, management games, and modding tools, Mattias Lilja takes the helm at a sensitive moment for Paradox’s roleplaying games division. Paradox ended its licensing agreement with Renegade Game Studios earlier this year, pulling White Wolf and the wider World of Darkness setting fully back in-house to Stockholm.
That internalisation immediately ran into community friction over rules development. Recent development updates on Vampire: The Masquerade 6th Edition saw the in-house Stockholm team execute a swift U-turn, abandoning experimental mechanical systems following player backlash to restore classic d10 dice pools.
With White Wolf development now directly under Paradox’s own roof rather than insulated by third-party publishing partners, Lilja will face direct operational accountability for the tabletop portfolio alongside video game pipeline pressures. Balancing tabletop community expectations with core digital releases like Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings will test how effectively his operational background bridges digital development and tabletop design.
