Industry Movers: Real Games Targets Social Games, Blitz Cements Management Team & More

RealGames - Jeffrey Revoy

RealGames recently announced Jeffrey Revoy has joined the executive management staff as vice president of social games. Additionally, Wilf Russel has been named to the position of chief technology officer. Real has been a leader in the casual space but has yet to make a big impact in the social games sector. The company is hoping to change that starting with these appointments.

"As the digital games segment continues to grow and evolve at an explosive pace, we believe the companies who effectively create, deliver and monetize the best games across vast customer ecosystems and multiple devices will emerge as market leaders," said John Barbour, president of RealGames.  "Our team has helped establish RealGames as a leader in the download, online, social and mobile gaming segments worldwide, and we are excited to have Jeff and Wilf on board to help integrate and extend the significant groundwork already laid."

Revoy has worked in technology and Internet related businesses for over two decades. He spent six years at Yahoo!, holding senior roles both in the U.S. headquarters and overseas; later he served as vice president of search, local and social media holding global responsibility for Yahoo! Answers. Revoy was most recently president of the Interactive Services group at CenturyLink.

Russell has worked in the software industry for over 25 years. He spent time at MySpace, where he oversaw the development and day-to-day management of engineering facilities delivering products and services as vice president of engineering. Russell joined RealGames last year as vice president of engineering.

Blitz Games Studios - John Nash

Recently, Blitz Games Studios announced that John Nash has been named Studio Design Director. Nash will work with the rest of the senior management team at Blitz to provide support and guidance to all the development teams. Nash joins other recent appointments like Aaron Allport as Studio Art Director, Richard Hackett as Studio Technical Director and Chris Viggers as Studio Development Director. This forms the Studio Development Group (SDG) at Blitz.

“Over the last year we have dedicated ourselves to completing the SDG, appointing some of our most talented and respected staff to these important positions,” says Andrew Oliver, Blitz CTO and co-founder. “We’re confident that we now have the strongest team possible to continue to move the Studio forward.”

Nash began working in the games industry in 1993, starting with a seven-year stint at Rare. He's managed nearly one published game each year since, acquiring a vast amount of knowledge and experience with regard to game design and content creation.

Blitz also congratulated its first employee to pass the 15 years service mark, Tony Povey, who currently holds the position of Technical Manager.

“When we first started making games from our bedroom it was hard to believe that we’d ever employ nearly 250 people, let alone that some of them would stay with us for so long,” added Philip Oliver, Blitz CEO and co-founder: “We’re delighted that Tony is the first of our staff to pass 15 years service and would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution, hard work and loyalty over the years.”

The9 Limited - Xiaowei Chen, Jun Zhu

The9 Limited, which previously operated World of Warcraft in China before Netease, announced that Xiaowei Chen will not renew her contract with the company when it expires on May 16, 2010. Jun Zhu, currently the online Chinese company's Chairman and CEO, will assume the role of President when Chen leaves.

"I would like to thank the Board of Directors of The9 for their trust in me and all the employees for their support during my service to the Company,” said Chen. “I believe that the Company will continue to enjoy rapid growth and reach new heights under the leadership of Mr. Zhu Jun."

"I would like to thank Xiaowei for her service to The9 during the past two years," said Zhu. "Xiaowei brought to The9 her deep understanding of international business and laid a good foundation for the Company's international development. We wish her success in all of her future endeavors."

bitComposer Games - Veronika Tomasevic-Sanz

bitComposer Games announced this past week that Veronika Tomasevic-Sanz has joined the team. She will be International Sales Manager, and will coordinate and manage the national global sales activities.

“Veronika Tomasevic-Sanz is the perfect person to fill the role of International Sales Manager, and we are confident that her experience and contacts will make a significant contribution to the continued success of our company,” says Oliver Neupert, Managing Director of bitComposer Games.

Tomasevic-Sanz started working in the gaming industry in 1998, having worked for 10tacle Studios AG and Vivendi Universal. She was most recently at The Games Company, where she managed the distribution partners at a national and global level for the Berlin publisher.

IGN – Layoffs 

IGN revealed this past week that it was letting go an unspecified number of employees. The economy was cited as the reason for the layoffs. Full story is here.

Zynga - Steven Chiang

Recently, Zynga announced that it hired Steven Chiang. A long time veteran of the industry and EA, Chiang helped found Madden NFL developer Tiburon Entertainment. The full story is here.

EA Sports - Promotions

After the above departure of Steven Chiang, EA Sports announced the promotions of Andrew Wilson and Pauline Moller. Wilson will run worldwide development for EA Sports and Moller will serve as Chief Operating Officer for the EA Sports label. More can be read here.

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