Paradox CEO greenlights expected failure, bets hair it won't be profitable
Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester announced last month that he would shave his head if the company's Victoria 2 actually turned a profit -- he appears to have a full head of hair, so it's not like he was being ironic. Gamasutra caught up with the executive to ask why he would greenlight a title he expected to fail. Wester expressed that the community's passion and Paradox's internal studio convinced him to acquiesce. If the game fails to turn a profit, however, he gets to choose the next game the team develops.
Wester sees the situation as a win either way, saying, "Either I get to keep my hair, or I get a profitable game." As Wester owns 49 percent of the company stock and the employees own the rest, it gives him the liberty to do this type of stuff.
We do wish more CEOs would be forced to have a personal stake in a company's success and bear some "scarlet letter" for failure. Example: A Midway board meeting would look like a THX 1138 cosplay convention.
