Publisher doubles down on existing game portfolio; unveils new mobile studio in San
Mateo
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (May 28, 2015) – Over the last week, NCSOFT(r) West has made two
major announcements with the news of Blade & Soul coming to the West this winter and
WildStar going free-to-play this fall. Not only is NCSOFT West doubling down on its
existing portfolio of products, from WildStar and Blade & Soul to Aion and Lineage
II, it is also expanding to new platforms with an additional focus on mobile gaming.
“Over the last several months, we’ve begun to lay the groundwork to increase NCSOFT
West’s investment and prominence in the West,” said Dr. Songyee Yoon, CEO of NCSOFT
West. “Now, with our full executive team in place, new mobile studio open in San
Mateo and a number of other key initiatives underway, we have a strategy that will
drive our acceleration and position the company as a key leader in the Western games
industry.”
As part of NCSOFT West’s growth and expansion, the company recently opened a new
mobile studio. NCSOFT West plans to grow the studio significantly over the next
year. The new studio will work to develop high quality, innovative titles that are
both new IP and also leverage NCSOFT’s existing game portfolio.
“NCSOFT West is poised for acceleration,” said John Burns, senior vice president of
publishing at NCSOFT West. “We are expanding our product pipeline via more products
from our Korean HQ, from M&A activity and via a heavy focus on mobile development.
We also continue to accelerate by building on the existing great teams and people we
have here at NCSOFT West and by adding additional areas of expertise that support
our expanding cross-platform initiatives.”
Since December, 2014, NCSOFT West has filled a significant number of roles across
its mobile, corporate development and publishing teams and is currently hiring for
number of key positions at http://us.ncsoft.com/en/jobs/.
Key recent hires to the executive and senior management team include:
* John Burns, senior vice president of Publishing and business services at
NCSOFT West – John’s responsibility includes building and managing a world class
publishing organization that increases NCSOFT’s ability to market products through
all platforms and channels. Prior to joining NCSOFT West, John held several
leadership positions within the gaming industry including Trion Worlds, Electronic
Arts and Activision where he managed some of the world’s largest entertainment
launches across a variety of platforms including online and mobile.
* Jesse Taylor, senior vice president of Mobile – Jesse leads the mobile
development team. Jesse has more than 27 years of experience in the videogame
industry, having held leadership positions at companies including Electronic Arts,
Sega, Namco, Midway and Glu Mobile. Most recently at Glu Mobile, Jesse was the
senior vice president of game development where he oversaw operations at four
studios located in Russia, China, India and Brazil.
* Michael Chang, senior vice president of Corporate Development – Michael
works to identify new opportunities to grow NCSOFT’s product portfolio. Michael
previously led Electronic Arts’ acquisition and investment activity in F2P mobile
and PC gaming. Prior to EA, Michael worked in the venture capital and private equity
industries.
* Daren Chencinski, general manager of NCSOFT West Mobile – As an
experienced product development executive, Daren has a strong background in
production, design, monetization and product management for mobile games. Daren
most recently served as General Manager for Moscow Studio at Glu Mobile, one of the
leading mobile game developers in the world.
* Jeff Pabst, vice president of commerce – Jeff joins NCSOFT from SEGA
Europe where he was Director of Product Management for its Online Platform and F2P
games. Formally a Management Consultant, he made the shift into the game industry
after his MBA at London Business School and hasn’t looked back. With integral roles
at both Trion and Microsoft, Jeff has managed both commercial and technology teams
to deliver online games and entertainment.
* Tim Granich, senior director, Marketing – A veteran of nearly 20 years in
the game industry, Tim has launched brands at companies including 989
Studios/Sports, Midway/Sport/Sports Asylum and most recently, Sony Online
Entertainment. He has launched games on nearly every console, hand held and PC
platform available since 1998. Tim has worked with some of the highest profile
intellectual properties in the world, including the likes of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL,
Warner Bros., Lucas Films, Village Roadshow, MTV, DC Comics and J.R.R. Tolkien (The
Lord of the Rings).
* Ben Conrad, director of Corporate Communications, Public Relations and
Events – Over the last 16 years, Ben has lead corporate and product communications
efforts on behalf of top technology and gaming companies. Most recently, Ben lead
global public relations for Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest franchise. Prior
to SOE, Ben managed corporate and product PR for KingsIsle Entertainment and the
popular online family titles Wizard101 and Pirate101.
* Omeed Dariani, director of Community – Omeed is a 17 year veteran of the
game industry, having gotten his start creating the Magic: the Gathering website
StarCityGames.com. He has since worked for a number of companies, including Hasbro
and Sony Online, created two television series and worked on a wide variety of
amazing properties, including Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, EverQuest, and
Pokemon.
For more information on NCSOFT West, visit www.ncsoft.com.
