Theale UK, 8th January 2025: After 31 years with PLAION, our CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Klemens Kundratitz has announced his decision to transition the company’s leadership to Phil Rogers. Rogers currently serves in several roles within the Embracer Group and is most active today in leading the creation of the new “Middle-earth & Friends” operating unit. Kundratitz’ new role starting April 2025 will be strategic advisor for Embracer. Moving away from day-to-day operations, he wishes to take a step back and spend more time with his family.
Kundratitz and co-founder Franz Koch founded PLAION (originally Koch Media) as a software distributor in Germany, Austria and the UK in 1994. The bold venture has since grown into a flourishing global entertainment business specializing in the development, worldwide publishing and distribution of Games, as well as an international Film and Merchandising business with over 2000 employees in 15 countries.
During his time as CEO, Kundratitz’ strategic foresight has consistently steered the company through intense periods of growth and transformation. Under his leadership, the company underwent a successful rebranding, expanded into new territories and areas of business, and established strong entertainment franchises such as Metro, Dead Island and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. The most significant change, however, occurred in 2018, when PLAION joined the Embracer Group — a monumental decision that resulted in significant growth, tripling the company in size since then.
About his successor and his own time at PLAION, Kundratitz said: “I'm delighted to be handing over my CEO duties to Phil. I know he will do an outstanding job, as he has the perfect leadership and vision to build out Middle-earth & Friends, continuing PLAION’s excellent momentum. It has been an absolute pleasure to build this company, and I am honored and thankful to have worked with our fantastic teams worldwide. I could not have asked for a more exciting and rewarding role in the entertainment industry and I am proud of what we have achieved together.”
Phil Rogers said: “Klemens has dedicated so much of his life to PLAION and has built an incredible legacy, a cornerstone of the European entertainment industry. I am excited to begin working closely with PLAION’s leadership team as we create our new business unit Middle-earth & Friends.”
We want to express our deepest gratitude to Klemens for the remarkable legacy he has built. His steadfast leadership, unwavering dedication and passion for the business have always set a steady course for PLAION. Over 31 years, his humility and vision have carried us through periods of challenge, transition and tremendous growth into a thriving future. We wish him all the best in his new role within Embracer, and hope he enjoys his well-earned time with his family.
As we now enter a new era in our company’s history, we warmly welcome Phil as the new CEO to our global PLAION community. We are excited for the future we will build together with him and as part of Middle-earth & Friends.