Chris Wilson is Back with New Studio Light Pattern
Published on: 6/30/2025
Over the weekend, Chris Wilson, co-founder of Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games, stunned ARPG fans with a surprise reveal. In a one-hour interview with Diablo designer David Brevik, commemorating Diablo 2’s 25th anniversary, Wilson shared that he’s launched a new game development studio and is already working on a fresh project.
Official records show Wilson stepped down as a director at Grinding Gear Games in February 2025, ending his tenure at the studio he helped establish in 2006. However, his personal website notes he left earlier, exiting the role by the end of 2023 after leading the company for 17 years.
Following Path of Exile’s open beta launch in 2013, Wilson became the studio’s public figurehead, closely tied to the game’s league updates and expansions. In May 2018, Tencent acquired an 87% stake in Grinding Gear Games after the game’s Chinese release. Wilson, alongside co-founders Jonathan Rogers and Erik Olofsson, held onto a 13% share until selling it to Tencent in March 2024.
During the Brevik interview, Wilson revealed he took a year-long break after leaving Grinding Gear, traveling and organizing his Magic card collection—a solid post-company-sale hobby. “I spent a year doing that after GGG, and it was relaxing, but I had the itch to be creative again,” he said, adding that he wanted to create without the burden of running a 200-person company.
Reflecting on the early days of Path of Exile, Wilson said, “The most fun I had was jamming in my garage with Jonathan and Erik.” This nostalgia inspired him to found Light Pattern earlier this year, a small studio where he’s now collaborating with friends on a new game.
