PlaySpan - Stevie Case
Recently, PlaySpan announced that it hired Stevie Case as VP of Sales and Business Development. She will be responsible for generating new business leads as well as supporting the overall sales team on existing business initiatives and partnerships.
"Stevie is a widely respected figure in the gaming industry and she has a combination of passion, professionalism, and knowledge that is unmatched,” said Karl Mehta, CEO of PlaySpan. "We are very exciting to add her talents and business acumen to our work force, where we will be able to leverage her experience and contacts to expand our presence globally.”
Case worked with John Romero at Ion Storm, then went on to co-found Monkeystone Games with Romero and id Software veteran Tom Hall, where she served as CEO. She most recently served as the Senior Director of Business Development at LiveGamer and prior to that served as Director of Business Development and Sales at Tira Wireless.
"It’s great to be a part of PlaySpan’s seasoned executive team and I am looking forward to contributing to the company’s overall success," said Case. “PlaySpan has an impressive track record and boasts relationships with some of the biggest brands in the business. I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with the clear industry leader and help prepare our customers and partners for the next phase of industry growth.”
ELSPA - Daniel Wood
The ELSPA recently announced that it has named Daniel Wood as its new Communications and Public Affairs Manager. He will play a vital role in communicating to its members, policy makers, the general public and the wider media as the organization transitions to the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment.
“I’m delighted to have Daniel join us as the latest addition to ELSPA’s staff. His experience of communications within the creative industries will prove invaluable to us as we move to our new identity, UKIE,” said Mike Rawlinson, Director General at ELSPA. “The interactive entertainment landscape is broader now than ever before and ELSPA is here to help create the right environment for this expanding industry to thrive. To do this ELSPA needs to engage with new gaming audiences, with our members and with policy makers and Daniel will be here to make sure that the interactive industry’s voice is heard.”
Wood has extensive communications experience. He most recently worked as Head of Strategy and Planning in the Marketing and Communications Department at music royalty business, PRS for Music, where he had responsibility for all communications to the businesses’ key stakeholders from government and educational establishments to trade bodies and PRS for Music’s members.
“The videogames industry is going through unprecedented changes and I am very pleased to be part of the new ELSPA team that is at the heart of this evolution,” said Wood. “It is more important than ever that the industry is listened to and I’m looking forward to raising the profile of UKIE, and the interactive entertainment industry, to our members, policy makers and the general public.”
Zattikka - Peter Jones
This past week, Zattikka announced that Peter Jones has been named Executive Producer. He will work closely with Matt Spall to manage the portfolio of products under development and ensure that Zattikka delivers high quality games.
“I’m delighted that another senior industry figure such as Peter has chosen to join our rapidly growing team,” said Zattikka Ltd Founder & CEO, Tim Chaney. “He will play a key role in ensuring that our users see Zattikka as a provider of premium product and experiences.”
Jones started off at Mirrorsoft and moved through positions at Sega Europe and Acclaim Entertainment, the latter spent working on the classic Alien Trilogy and other major film licenses. He moved on to Virgin Interactive as General Manager of Publishing where he took responsibility for delivery of all of the externally developed titles from partners such as Capcom. Jones later worked at Argonaut Games as Executive producer on the Harry Potter projects for EA, later moving on to Lionhead Studios for Fable 2 and Black and White 2. He was most recently Director of Product Development role for Codemasters Software, taking general responsibility for the development of external partners and products.
“I believe that social and casual gaming is going to be a big part of the future of software entertainment,” commented Jones. “Zattikka is a really innovative new business and joining their team was a great opportunity for me to be part of building and growing this exciting new market.”
NYU Game Center - Eric Zimmerman
Edge is reporting that NYU announced recently that Eric Zimmerman has been named visiting assistant arts professor at the NYU Game Center. In his new post he’ll teach Introduction to Game Design and Advanced Game Design.
“His addition on a full-time basis is an indication of the Game Center’s commitment to bringing together the most important and influential scholars and designers in the field in order to build a world-class program in game design,” said NYU Game Center interim chair Frank Lantz.
Zimmerman has been working in the game industry for more than 16 years and has taught game design since 1995 at places like MIT, School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design. He has helped create the games SiSSYFiGHT 2000 and the PC title Gearheads. Zimmerman was the co-founder and CEO of Gamelab, which created titles including Diner Dash before its closure in 2009. Over the past year, he has been teaching and helping to create a curriculum at the Game Center on a part-time basis.
Atari - Erik Reynolds
Atari sent word recently that Erik Reynolds will be re-joining Atari. He will be the company's new Sr. Director of Public Relations,.
"The Atari brand is a powerful untapped resource and this opportunity to rejoin the company and help define its connection to a new generation of gamers is an honor, " said Reynolds. "Our industry is dynamic and constantly evolving and I believe that Atari is poised to adapt, innovate and thrive in this new online marketplace."
Reynolds has worked 11 years in Brand PR and Corporate Communication. He worked in PR for Yahoo, THQ and Atari before ending up as Global Public Relations Director for Vivendi, where he was directly responsible for the overall strategic direction, planning and internal/external communications for Sierra Entertainment. Prior to joining Atari, Reynolds started his own interactive entertainment consulting company and development house
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Meteor Games - Zac Brandenberg
This past week, Meteor Games announced the appointment of Zac Brandenberg as CEO. In his new position with Meteor Games, he will drive the strategic direction of the company's social gaming products and manage the company's growth and monetization strategy.
"With a wealth of experience in digital media and a proven track record in leading high growth companies, we knew Zac was the best fit to maximize our presence in the nearly $2 billion social gaming marketplace," said Meteor co-founder and former CEO Adam Powell, who is now Chief Creative Officer. "Meteor is on a path to change the way social games are thought about -- from the way they are played to the way in which they are monetized -- and with Zac leading our team, we have taken a bold step towards realizing that goal."
Recently Brandenberg served as CEO of Hydra, a digital advertising platform that he founded in 2003. Over the past two years, he has also served on the Board of Meteor Games, providing integral insight and operational support to the company as it looked to further its leadership role in the social gaming industry.
"Having worked closely with the Meteor team as a Board member and investor, I've seen firsthand how dynamic, creative and innovative the studio has become, and I look forward to helping shape the next chapter in its history," said Brandenberg. "Meteor Games is set to change the notion of what defines social gaming with an emphasis on richer, more engaging content for current users while simultaneously captivating an entirely new generation of game players."
Capcom – Kazuhiko Abe
Capcom announced during last week the promotion of Kazuhiko Abe to the role of CEO for both Capcom USA and Capcom Europe. Check out the full story for more.
Google – Mark DeLoura
Industry veteran Mark DeLoura announced last week that he's leaving his role at Google as developer advocate. He had only joined the internet giant four months earlier. Read more here.
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