Cryptozoic Entertainment CEO John Sepenuk passed away on February 14, 2023; he was 54.  His death came as the result of a heart attack while kite surfing along Huntington Beach, California.  Sepenuk spent time in Japan as a young man and joined The Upper Deck Company in 2002, where he was Vice-President of Business Development until 2008.  In 2010, he co-founded Cryptozoic Entertainment with John Nee and others, with the World of Warcraft TCG the company’s first product (see "Cryptozoic Gets ‘WOW TCG’").

Sepenuk was well-liked in the industry and oversaw Cryptozoic’s growth from licensed hobby games into trading cards and merch.  We always found him interesting, engaging, and a pleasure to be around.  He will be missed by the team at Cryptozoic and all who knew him. Our sympathies to the folks at Cryptozoic and his friends and family.

Cryptozoic Co-Founder John Nee will take over as the new CEO.  He had served as co-CEO for a time in the early days at Cryptozoic, but had pursued other interests in recent years, including a three-year stint as Publisher at Marvel Comics from 2018 to 2021.  Nee was co-founder of Wildstorm Productions with Jim Lee and went to DC Comics when it acquired the company in 1998, where served for a decade in business development roles, finishing as Senior Vice President, Business Development.