White Wolf Publishing
On the 11th of November 2006, White Wolf and CCP Games announced a merger during the keynote address at the EVE Online Fanfest. This event marked a turning point for an American roleplaying game publisher founded in 1991. The company emerged from a union between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine. That magazine had started in Rocky Face, Georgia, in 1986 under the name White Wolf Inphobia. Mark Rein-Hagen led the former entity while Steve Wieck and Stewart Wieck ran the latter. Their combined efforts created a new publishing house that would soon dominate the tabletop gaming landscape.
White Wolf published several overlapping games set within the World of Darkness. This modern gothic setting featured supernatural terrors and ancient conspiracies hidden beneath the real world. Vampire: The Masquerade became the flagship title using the Storyteller System. Werewolf: The Apocalypse followed with its own distinct ruleset. The company also released Exalted and Scion under different imprints. A live-action roleplay system called Mind's Eye Theatre complemented these tabletop offerings. Several novels based on the Old World of Darkness appeared before going out of print. Many titles later returned via print-on-demand services.
CCP Games acquired White Wolf Publishing in 2006 during their merger announcement. The Icelandic MMO developer responsible for EVE Online took control of the American publisher. White Wolf operated as an imprint of CCP hf after the deal closed. They ceased all in-house production of material by licensing properties to other publishers instead. A World of Darkness MMORPG project began planning stages shortly after the merger. That game was cancelled in April 2014 after nine years of development. No new content had been produced for the card game V:TES in over four years when White Wolf acquired rights to it in 2000.
Paradox Interactive purchased White Wolf from CCP in October 2015. Tobias Sjögren served as CEO while Martin Ericsson became Lead Storyteller. In November 2018, most staff were dismissed following backlash over controversial sourcebook content. One book included a murder of gay Chechens within its narrative. Another featured optional neo-Nazi aesthetics for the Brujah vampire clan. White Wolf would no longer function as a separate entity under Paradox Interactive. Shams Jorjani issued a public message regarding these changes. The company stopped developing and publishing products internally at that time.
Onyx Path Publishing acquired Trinity games and Scion from CCP Games in 2012. Richard Thomas led this new company as Creative Director. Onyx Path became licensee for World of Darkness titles including classic and new versions. They also published Exalted but did not hold licenses for Mind's Eye Theatre titles. By Night Studios obtained the license for all Mind's Eye Theatre content in May 2013. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised $111,165 to rebuild Vampire: The Masquerade LARP materials. Physical copies of Laws of the Night were scheduled to ship in 2024 after raising funds exceeding their target goal.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines became one of the most famous video game adaptations. Redemption preceded it as an earlier attempt to bring the tabletop world to screens. Hunter: The Reckoning also received multiple video game releases. Development on a World of Darkness MMORPG began shortly after the 2006 merger announcement. That project was cancelled in April 2014 after nine years of work. Paradox Interactive later announced plans to co-publish Vampire: The Masquerade , Bloodlines 2 with White Wolf. Jason Carl served as Brand Marketing Manager when the company returned in May 2025.
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Common questions
When was White Wolf Publishing founded and by whom?
White Wolf Publishing emerged from a union between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine in 1991. Mark Rein-Hagen led the former entity while Steve Wieck and Stewart Wieck ran the latter.
What happened to White Wolf Publishing after the merger with CCP Games on the 11th of November 2006?
CCP Games acquired White Wolf Publishing in 2006 during their merger announcement. The company ceased all in-house production of material by licensing properties to other publishers instead.
Why did Paradox Interactive dismiss most staff at White Wolf in November 2018?
Most staff were dismissed following backlash over controversial sourcebook content. One book included a murder of gay Chechens within its narrative and another featured optional neo-Nazi aesthetics for the Brujah vampire clan.
Which companies hold licenses for World of Darkness titles as of May 2013?
Onyx Path became licensee for World of Darkness titles including classic and new versions. By Night Studios obtained the license for all Mind's Eye Theatre content in May 2013.
When was the World of Darkness MMORPG project cancelled after nine years of development?
That game was cancelled in April 2014 after nine years of work. No new content had been produced for the card game V:TES in over four years when White Wolf acquired rights to it in 2000.