World of Darkness (WoD) is a modern fantasy horror brand owned by Paradox Interactive, a Swedish game developer and publisher.
A Little History
White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher that was founded in 1991. White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with CCP Games in 2006. White Wolf Publishing operated as an imprint of CCP, but ceased in-house production of any material, instead licensing their properties to other publishers. Paradox Interactive acquired it from CCP in 2015, and it operated as a separate entity until November 2018, when it was integrated completely into Paradox Interactive. White Wolf no longer exists as a company and today the World of Darkness team at Paradox Interactive manages the brand and its many franchises, from Vampire: The Masquerade to Werewolf: The Apocalypse and more.
What is Brand Management, and What Does It Do?
WoD brand management’s daily (and nightly!) mission is to bring the World of Darkness to life, globally.
Take a glance at the “Products” menu on this website: each of these video games, comics, audiobooks, board games, roleplaying games, and more begin with the high-level story, visual guides, and brand pillars that the team creates. We develop these tools to give Paradox game teams and our partners everything they need to create awesome products, and then we work closely with these teams and partners to ensure that their products stay closely aligned to these guiding principles.
WoD Brand Management decides which products will be licensed, reviews all products for quality and alignment, promotes the brand through marketing, and works to develop a healthy community for fans. We’ll talk more about each of these brand team activities in future articles, but first let’s meet the team.
Who Is the Brand Team?
World of Darkness Community Developer Martyna “Outstar” Zych introduced the team to you a few weeks ago in Episode 1 of World of Darkness News.
Brand Manager – Sean Greaney
Responsible for developing and guiding the overall brand vision and maintaining its integrity across the team’s activities, Sean manages the day-to-day work of the team and develops its highest-level goals, budgets, ambitions and product portfolio. He has oversight responsibility on all aspects of the brand and keeps all its audiences in focus… and has made a solemn oath to blood bond the entire team before the end of 2020.
Identifies as: Tzimisce
Team thinks he’s: Glasswalker
Secretly he’s probably: Stargazer
Creative Lead – Justin Achilli
We announced the great news that Justin joined the World of Darkness team only recently. As Creative Lead, he works to translate business goals into a clear World of Darkness creative strategy, determines the direction of its high-level stories, and sets the tone for its look and feel. Working closely with the other members of the team, Paradox game teams and external partners, he’s responsible for developing the core features of each WoD franchise and translating these into projects and products.
Identifies as: Toreador
Team thinks he’s: Brujah
Secretly he’s probably: Toreador
Art Director – Tomas Arfert
No artistic detail in World of Darkness products escapes Tomas’ experienced eyes. He creates the visual identity requirements for all WoD subbrands, reviews products and ensures they align with these guidelines. He is also the artist who created many of the World of Darkness 5th edition product logos.
Identifies as: Toreador
Team thinks he’s: Fianna
Secretly he’s: Toreador
Brand Editor – Karim Muammar
The host Storyteller for Vein Pursuit also acts as our continuity supervisor. He works closely with our licensees to ensure that all their products adhere to the brand creative pillars and lore that the team has established. He’s also the creator of the famous Hunger and Humanity systems in Vampire 5th Edition.
Identifies as: Caitiff
Team thinks he’s: Tzimisce
Secretly he’s: Brujah
Community Developer – Martyna “Outstar” Zych
As Community Developer, Martyna works to help the World of Darkness resonate with what the community wants and needs. She works to make our global community a welcoming place for fans to share their creativity and passion, and works closely with our Community Ambassadors to foster global interaction. She is also the host of WoD News weekly stream, and manages the online channels where brand and community meet, including web, social media, and Discord. You can find her on Twitch, Twitter, and Youtube.
Identifies as: Ministry
Team thinks she’s: Brujah
Secretly she’s: Toreador
Brand Marketing Manager – Jason Carl
You might know Jason better as the host Storyteller of LA by Night or Seattle by Night. He also creates strategies that promote World of Darkness globally, connecting WoD campaigns to one another and helping partners promote their licensed products.
Identifies as: Ventrue
Team thinks: Lasombra
Secretly he’s: Toreador