Plaion CEO steps down 31 years after co-founding Koch Media

Plaion CEO Klemens Kundratitz is stepping down 31 years after he co-founded the company then known as Koch Media.

From April 2025, Kundratitz will move into a strategic advisory role for Embracer as he "moves away from day-to-day operations" to "take a step back and spend more time with his family."

Deputy CEO Phil Rogers will assume leadership.

"I'm delighted to be handing over my CEO duties to Phil," Kundratitz said. "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," he added. "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."

Kundratitz and co-founder Franz Koch founded Koch Media as a software distributor in Germany, Austria and the UK in 1994 and is responsible for franchises like Metro, Dead Island, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It now employs over 2000 people in 15 countries after it was acquired by Embracer Group in 2018.