Paul Wedgwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1970 (age 55) |
| Occupation | Co-founder of Splash Damage |
Paul Wedgwood (born June 1970) is one of three founders of video game developer Splash Damage and was the CEO of the company until end of 2018. [1]
Paul Wedgwood was born in June 1970. Wedgwood started his career in the early 1990s as a network engineer attending major clients such as the Home Office and 10 Downing Street. [2] However he first joined the games industry in 1999 when he became infrastructure manager for BarrysWorld a multiplayer gaming website and ISP. During this time he spent much of his time working as a presenter and commentator on a videogame TV show broadcasting to Australasia, called Lock 'n Load. [3]
Alongside Barrysworld, Wedgwood worked as part of an amateur development team under his online alias 'Locki' on a modification of the game Quake III Arena entitled Q3F. A number of these core members later went on to form the video game developer Splash Damage in May 2001.
After founding Splash Damage, Wedgwood was credited on a number of games [4] including Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Doom 3, Quake Wars and Brink.
In July 2016, the sale of Splash Damage to Leyou was announced, for up to $150 million by Wedgwood, its sole owner, co-founder and chief executive. [5]
By then end of 2018, he officially stepped down as CEO of Splash Damage. Richard Jolly was appointed as the new CEO. [1]
Later in 2018, Wedgwood and other former Splash Damage members formed Supernova Capital, an investment firm. Supernova made its first acquisition in March 2019 with the studio Flying Wild Hog. [6]
In November 2020, Supernova sold Flying Wild Hog to Swedish gaming holding company Embracer Group (through its subsidiary Koch Media GmbH) for $137million. [7]
In 2024, several subsidiaries of Supernova Capital, co-founded by Paul Wedgwood, collapsed. Among them, French game studio Mi‑Clos, which had been acquired by Supernova Capital in February 2023, announced its closure after 14 years in operation. [8] Similarly, indie developer Little Red Dog Games shut down operations. [9]
Supernova's events division, Player1 Events, which organized the long-running Insomnia Gaming Festival, also entered insolvency, reportedly accumulating debts of up to £8 million. [10] This led to the dismissal of all staff, cancellation of the 2024 RuneFest convention, and public complaints from content creators who claimed they were still owed money. [11]
In May 2025, the official Insomnia Gaming Festival social media channels posted updates announcing the event's planned return and attempting to distance the brand from Player1 Events. [12] The new messaging emphasized a “new team” and a “community-first” approach. Despite this, it is widely believed that Wedgwood continues to own the Insomnia Gaming Festival's parent company. [13]