Gaming Industry Roundup: January 2024 | Hutch Appoints Co-CEO

Staying on top of the ever-changing landscape of the gaming industry can be a daunting task, which is why we've compiled the latest appointments and transitions in a semi-regular roundup. If your company has any new hires or staff changes you'd like to share, please send the details to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Recently, Hester Woodliffe was named chair of Video Games Europe, a position that will see her working closely with the Brussels team and Video Games Europe members across the continent to strengthen engagement with policymakers and highlight the industry's positive aspects. Woodliffe, who currently serves as vice president of publishing at WB Games EMEA, expressed her excitement about the new role, stating, 'This is an exciting role, and I look forward to working with the Brussels team and Video Games Europe members around Europe to optimize our engagement with policymakers and to highlight all the positive aspects of our incredible industry.' In other news, Testronic has appointed Stephen Wickes as its new senior vice president of sales for the Americas. Wickes will be responsible for driving the expansion of Testronic's QA, localization, play support, and development business in the region. With nearly 30 years of experience in the gaming industry, Wickes is well-equipped to lead this effort. He previously worked at Keywords Studios as vice president of business development and was with the company for 12 years. Hutch has also made a key appointment, promoting Peter Hansen-Chambers to co-CEO. Hansen-Chambers will work alongside Shaun Rutland to oversee the mobile games firm. He has been with the company since 2014 and has held various roles, including chief financial officer and chief revenue officer. Hansen-Chambers expressed his enthusiasm for the new position, stating, 'I am happy to share that I have accepted the role of Co-CEO at Hutch, leading the company alongside Shaun Rutland! We have always enjoyed a very tight partnership, and this change essentially recognizes the way we have been working for the last couple of years.' Other notable appointments include Claire Ralley and Adam Selcuk joining VaultN's executive team, Jeremy Haber being named the NBA 2K League's first chief operating officer, and Sandra Marshall being hired as Owlchemy Labs' new chief operating officer. Bhanu Prakash has been appointed head of creative for games at Saffronic, where he will lead the expansion of the firm's art and animation services for the games industry. Veronique Lallier has joined IO Interactive as chief development officer, overseeing the studio's game development strategy and production operations. Bytro Labs has appointed Christopher Lörken as its new CEO, with Julian Werner and Marvin Eschenauer joining the executive team as chief marketing officer and chief operations officer, respectively. Brian Etheridge has been hired as managing director at Toadman Interactive, while Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz has joined Rebel Wolves as creative director. Lewis D. has been appointed head of product for Lego Fortnite at the LEGO Group, and Maria Chyrvona has been named CEO of DevGAMM. Big Thursday Creative has hired Callum Sibley as its new business development director, and Natalya Tatarchuk has been appointed as Activision's new chief technology officer. Enthusiast Gaming has named Adrian Montgomery as its interim CEO, following Nick Brien's resignation. Egil Strunke has been hired as Starbreeze's new chief strategy officer, and Paul Kingsley has been appointed as Guild Esports' chief financial officer. Damon Baker has joined Tencent Games as head of strategic partners for console and PC, and Emily Gera has been appointed as senior writer at Larian Studios. Netmarble has named Byung Gyu Kim as its new co-CEO, and Reactional Music has hired Alex Boucher to its commercial and games partnerships team. Technicolor Creative Studios has appointed Bill Polson as its new chief technology officer, and Sérgio Laranjeira has been named CTO for game studio Metacore. Sumo Group has announced several new appointments, including Negrican Sandalci, Amelia White, and Mat Kemp. The company has also hired Abbie Barker, Razi Abbas, and Rachel Smith to various roles.