Disney Games Announces Expansion of Leadership Team with New Appointments and Promotions

The Disney Games division has undergone a significant expansion of its leadership team, with the appointment of two seasoned industry professionals and the promotion of three internal executives. Ray Gresko and Bjorn Tornqvist have joined the team in senior executive positions, while Jay Ong has taken on a new role, all reporting to Sean Shoptaw, who has been elevated to the position of Executive Vice President of Disney Games. Gresko, formerly Chief Development Officer at Blizzard Entertainment, has been appointed Senior Vice President of Production and Development, bringing over three decades of experience in the games industry. His career has spanned roles such as programmer, designer, producer, and executive, including overseeing development on notable titles like Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Diablo 3 during his tenure at Blizzard. He began his career at LucasArts, where he worked as a lead programmer on games like Star Wars: Dark Forces. Tornqvist, who started his role as Vice President of Games Technology in November last year, has a strong background in leadership positions at Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment, where he founded Ubisoft's digital games publishing platform. Ong, previously at the helm of the Marvel Games team, will now lead the global games licensing business, leveraging his over 25 years of industry experience, which includes working at Marvel, Blizzard Entertainment, EA Sports, and Xbox. Haluk Mentes will assume Ong's former role, having previously served as Head of Strategy and Business at Marvel Games. According to Disney Consumer Products President Tasia Filippatos, 'Under Sean Shoptaw and Jay Ong's leadership, Disney's games business is ideally positioned to deliver exceptional storytelling in this medium.' Filippatos also expressed gratitude to the Disney Games team for their contributions to the company's success and their role in shaping the future of the industry through innovative entertainment. These changes follow the Walt Disney Company's $1.5 million investment in Epic Games announced in February, which also included a major partnership with Fortnite.