Richard Henkel has built a notable career at the intersection of game development, product leadership, and entrepreneurship. Best known as the co-founder and CEO of Odyssey Interactive, the Waterloo-based studio behind Omega Strikers, Henkel has moved from working on major titles at Riot Games to building his own competitive gaming company in Canada.
His professional journey is particularly interesting because it connects three influential gaming and technology environments: the University of Waterloo, Riot Games, and the emerging Waterloo game-development ecosystem. Through Odyssey Interactive, Henkel has pursued a vision centered on competitive games that encourage community, social interaction, and long-term player engagement.
Who Is Richard Henkel?
Richard Henkel is a Canadian video game executive and entrepreneur who co-founded Odyssey Interactive in 2020. Before launching the studio, he spent roughly five years at Riot Games, where he worked on major projects associated with League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics.
Henkel became particularly recognized for his work as a product lead on Teamfight Tactics, Riot’s auto-battler spin-off of League of Legends. His experience at Riot gave him exposure to large-scale live-service game development and helped establish his reputation as a young gaming leader.
In 2020, he left Riot and returned to Waterloo, Ontario, where he joined several former Riot colleagues to establish Odyssey Interactive. The company’s stated ambition was to develop competitive games designed for modern, socially connected players.
Richard Henkel Odyssey’s Facts
| Fact | Details |
| Full Name | Richard Henkel |
| Known For | Co-founder and CEO of Odyssey Interactive |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Hometown | Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada |
| Age | Approximately 34–35 as of 2026 |
| Education | University of Waterloo |
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies |
| Graduation | 2015 |
| Early Career | BlackBerry and Leysin American School |
| Riot Games Career | 2015–2020 |
| Riot Role | Product leadership on League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics |
| Major Riot Project | Teamfight Tactics |
| Recognition | Forbes 30 Under 30 – Games, 2020 |
| Odyssey Interactive Founded | 2020 |
| Company Role | Co-founder and CEO |
| Odyssey Headquarters | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
| Debut Game | Omega Strikers |
| Omega Strikers Beta | September 2022 |
| Omega Strikers Release | 2023 |
| Reported Funding | Approximately $80 million in cumulative funding |
| Spouse | Melanie Henkel |
| Children | Three |
| Current Role (2026) | CEO of Odyssey Interactive |
| Primary Focus | Competitive, social, and cross-platform gaming |
Early Life and Education
Henkel was born and raised in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. Gaming was part of his life from an early age, including memories of playing video games with his brother.
He later attended the University of Waterloo, graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. His university experience was important not only academically but also professionally because Waterloo’s co-op system gave him opportunities to work in different environments.
During his studies, Henkel completed placements that included work at BlackBerry as a project manager and data analyst. He also worked as an admissions officer at the Leysin American School in Switzerland.
Richard Henkel Age
Richard Henkel is approximately 34 years old as of 2026. He was born around 1991–1992 in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. He was 28 years old when Forbes recognized him in its 2020 30 Under 30 Games list.
Richard Henkel’s Career at Riot Games
After graduating from the University of Waterloo in 2015, Henkel moved to Los Angeles and joined Riot Games, the developer and publisher behind League of Legends.
His time at Riot became the foundation for his later entrepreneurial career. He worked across several important projects and eventually became a product lead associated with Teamfight Tactics.
Teamfight Tactics was a particularly significant project because it transformed characters and elements from League of Legends into an auto-battler experience. The game quickly developed a large international audience and became one of Riot’s major extensions of the League of Legends universe.
Henkel also worked with the League of Legends Summoner’s Rift team and contributed to projects involving the game’s underlying technology. This combination of product leadership and technical exposure gave him a broader understanding of how competitive games are designed, operated, and continually improved.
His work at Riot ultimately brought major industry recognition. In 2020, he was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Games, highlighting his contribution to the gaming industry at a relatively young age.
Founding Odyssey Interactive
In 2020, Henkel made the transition from established game developer to startup founder. He co-founded Odyssey Interactive with fellow former Riot developers, including Dax Andrus and David Capurro, alongside former Netflix engineer Eric Lawless.
Rather than establishing the company in a traditional gaming center such as Los Angeles, the founders chose Waterloo as Odyssey’s home. The decision reflected Henkel’s connection to the region and his belief that Waterloo could support a growing technology and gaming company.
Odyssey initially focused on creating competitive games for mobile and cross-platform audiences. The studio emphasized social interaction and community as important elements of its products rather than treating competition solely as a measure of winning and losing.
The company attracted significant early investor interest. Its initial seed financing totaled approximately US$6 million, with prominent technology and gaming investors among those backing the studio.
Odyssey later secured a US$19 million Series A round, providing additional resources for development and expansion. Subsequent fundraising brought the company’s reported cumulative funding to roughly $80 million, according to the information available about its financing through the mid-2020s.
Omega Strikers and Odyssey’s First Major Game
Odyssey Interactive’s most prominent early project was Omega Strikers, a free-to-play competitive multiplayer game built around fast 3v3 matches.
The game entered open beta on PC in September 2022 before expanding to additional platforms in 2023. Its gameplay combines elements of competitive sports, action games, and character-based multiplayer experiences.
One of the central ideas behind Omega Strikers was accessibility. Matches were designed to be relatively fast, allowing players to compete without committing to extremely long sessions. Cross-platform ambitions also helped Odyssey target a broader gaming audience.
The game’s release gave Henkel and his team an opportunity to apply lessons learned at Riot to an independent studio. Instead of developing another traditional PC-only competitive title, Odyssey sought to build a game capable of reaching players across multiple platforms.
For Henkel, Omega Strikers represented more than simply a first commercial release. It was an early demonstration of Odyssey’s broader philosophy: competitive games could also be social spaces where players build communities and lasting connections.
Richard Henkel’s Leadership Philosophy
Henkel’s approach to game development appears strongly influenced by his experience at Riot Games. He has spoken about the advantages of working within small, highly collaborative teams and has attempted to bring a similar sense of speed and trust to Odyssey.
Community is another important component of his philosophy. Rather than designing games around competition alone, Henkel has emphasized inclusive experiences and the idea that games can become meaningful parts of players’ everyday lives.
This philosophy also reflects the changing gaming market. Modern players increasingly expect games to function as social platforms as well as entertainment products. Features such as cross-play, regular updates, community events, and accessible competitive systems can be as important to long-term success as the initial gameplay concept.
Building Waterloo as a Gaming Hub
One of Henkel’s broader contributions extends beyond Odyssey itself. By choosing Waterloo as the company’s headquarters, he has helped draw attention to the region’s potential as a gaming and digital-media center.
Waterloo already has a strong technology ecosystem, supported by universities, startups, and established companies. Henkel has argued that the region offers advantages including access to talented graduates, comparatively favorable operating conditions, and Canadian technology incentives.
His career therefore illustrates how Canadian technology hubs can produce entrepreneurs capable of competing in an international gaming market.
Odyssey’s growth has also provided an example for other developers considering careers outside traditional gaming centers. Henkel’s decision to build in Waterloo demonstrates that successful game studios do not necessarily need to be based in Los Angeles, Seattle, Montreal, or other established gaming clusters.
Personal Life
Henkel is married to Melanie and has three children. His decision to return to Waterloo was influenced partly by family considerations, allowing him to reconnect with the region while building his company.
He generally keeps his private life away from the center of his public profile. Most available coverage focuses on his career, entrepreneurship, game development, and the growth of Odyssey Interactive.
Richard Henkel’s Current Role
As of 2026, Henkel continues to serve as CEO of Odyssey Interactive. His responsibilities extend beyond game design into company strategy, recruitment, fundraising, product development, and long-term business planning.
Odyssey’s experience with Omega Strikers has also given the studio a foundation for exploring additional competitive gaming concepts. The company’s future will ultimately depend on whether it can turn its development philosophy and substantial investment backing into games with sustained audiences.
For Henkel, that represents the next stage of a career that began with co-op placements in Waterloo, progressed through major projects at Riot Games, and evolved into entrepreneurship.
Richard Henkel’s Lasting Significance
Richard Henkel’s story is still being written, but several elements already distinguish his career. His work on Teamfight Tactics placed him inside one of the gaming industry’s most successful live-service environments. His Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition marked his early professional achievements, while the creation of Odyssey Interactive demonstrated his willingness to take the greater risks associated with entrepreneurship.
His most important legacy may ultimately depend on Odyssey’s future games. Nevertheless, his decision to establish the studio in Waterloo and invest in competitive, community-oriented gaming has already contributed to the region’s growing profile in the digital entertainment sector.
From Riot Games to Odyssey Interactive, Henkel’s career reflects a broader shift in gaming: talented developers are increasingly moving from established studios to build independent companies around their own creative and cultural philosophies.
