Jacobs'"All Things Must Come To An End" post mainly looks back on his time with Mythic, from the early days of Dark Age of Camelot's pre-release through to his final days as GM of EA Mythic. He does briefly touch on his departure at the very beginning, however, explaining why he had suddenly gone on sabbatical, as mentioned in a previous post on the formation of EA's new joint BioWare/Mythic RPG/MMO group.

Early in May, Electronic Arts let me know that they wanted to make some changes within the Games Label and as a result of those changes I have been out of the office (and out of touch with the team, game, etc.) since that day.

Whether this means that EA asked him to step down or the proposed changes weren't to his liking and he simply took off is anyone's guess. Mark Jacobs certainly isn't telling.

...if you are looking or expecting me to damn EA or anyone there, you will be sorely disappointed. Over my 23 years of making games professionally I have refrained from attacking the competition, former and/or current partners, other game developers, etc. except on a few very rare instances. I have no intention of breaking with tradition at the present time and I hope my track record in this regard remains unchanged for the rest of my career.

All Things Must Come to an End [Online Games Are A Niche Market via MMORPG.com]

Here's how things are working now. Sega of America and Sega of Europe CEO Naoya Tsurumi is now responsible for Sega operations in all three major markets, adding Sega of Japan to his rather large plate. Meanwhile, Mike Hayes will be stepping into the newly-created position of President & COO of both Sega of America and Sega of Europe, which more than likely entails a great deal more air travel.

"I'm delighted to be heading up the SEGA Western territories at such an exciting time in the company's resurgence as a leading videogame publisher around the globe," said Hayes. "As shown at E3 last week, SEGA has a winning line-up of titles over the next 12 months and beyond. The management changes announced today will ensure that SEGA's Consumer Business is positioned for long-term growth and success."

Hopefully this new, unified Sega will continue the recent trend of not doing anything with the Sonic franchise other than the odd racing or sports spin-off to appease the kids, while delivering daring new experiences like Bayonetta and MadWorld, even if the latter sold like hotcakes laced with poison.

Dale's departure from Take-Two interactive was announced in January of this year, with personal reasons cited as the cause of his departure. His last official day at Take-Two was April 15th, and after a nice little vacation he now slips into the role of CEO for Realtime Worlds.

"Realtime Worlds is one of the most innovative game companies in the world," said Gary Dale, CEO, Realtime Worlds, Inc. "The Company is on the verge of launching products that will change current conceptions of what MMO games are about. I can't imagine a more exciting opportunity than to join this talented and creative team as we prepare to deliver such ground-breaking and high quality online entertainment to gamers around the globe."

Dale will lead the company through transition from traditional developer to online game publisher, beginning with their online shooter All Points Bulletin.

Kavanagh joins Paramount from developer Kuju after spearheading their expansion into North America with Kuju America. Before that he served as the VP of product development at Eidos, where he worked on titles such as Hitman, Timesplitters, Deus Ex, and Thief. John will be directly responsible for development and licensing of video games based off of Paramount properties.

“We are very excited to have someone as experienced as John come aboard to lead our video game group,” states Thomas Lesinski. “John brings a diverse array of global gaming experience that will help accelerate our efforts in the development and licensing of video games.”

With such an impressive list of credits, can better movie adaptations be far behind? Probably, yes.

Financially challenged or not, Midway sure knows how to work that Booty. First appointed as interim CEO following the departure of David F. Zucker in March of last year, Booty was confirmed as president and CEO in October. Now he takes up the mantle of chairman of the board as well, follow former chairman Peter C Brown's departure for personal reasons.

At this rate, I am calculating that Booty will fill every position in the company within the next year.

“Over the past two quarters we have made progress reducing costs, realigning our studios, and improving execution on our game launches,” said Mr. Booty. “Along with the rest of our management team, I am committed to continuing to drive this progress and maintain a sharp focus on the successful implementation of our plans for the fourth quarter and beyond.”

We at Kotaku wish Mr. Booty the best of success in his newly-cemented position, and I in particular would like to point out that I went the entire post without making a booty joke.

Midway Confirms Matt Booty as President and CEO
Appointment reflects successful execution of core business initiatives

CHICAGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) today announced that Matthew V. Booty has been appointed by the Board of Directors as President and CEO of the company. Mr. Booty has served as interim president and CEO of Midway Games Inc. since March, 2008.

Matt Booty brings a deep background with Midway anchored in product development. Mr. Booty joined in 1991 as an engineer and programmer, at a time when Midway launched iconic arcade franchises such as the original Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. After serving in progressively more responsible roles, he eventually was promoted to Vice President of Product Development in 2002. Prior to being named President and CEO of the company, he served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Studios.

During his tenure as interim president and CEO, Mr. Booty has demonstrated strong leadership and has successfully executed on a number of key initiatives aimed at developing top performing games and improving financial performance, including reducing costs through studio consolidation, exiting underperforming licenses and rebalancing the product portfolio to focus on key licenses and owned intellectual property such as TNA iMPACT!, Blitz: The League, Mortal Kombat and Wheelman.

“Over the past two quarters we have made progress reducing costs, realigning our studios, and improving execution on our game launches,” said Mr. Booty. “Along with the rest of our management team, I am committed to continuing to drive this progress and maintain a sharp focus on the successful implementation of our plans for the fourth quarter and beyond.”

"I am excited to have the opportunity to lead our game teams and talented associates as we roll out our 2008 releases," said Matt Booty. "Our plans include significant front-line releases, ambitious new intellectual properties, reinvigorated franchises with well-established fan bases, and new offerings in the casual games space."

Matt Booty Named Interim CEO of Midway

CHICAGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY) today announced that Matthew V. Booty has been named Interim Chief Executive Officer and President, and that the company's Board of Directors has commenced a search for a new Chief Executive Officer and President.

"Dynamic new leadership is needed to bring Midway to its full potential," said Shari Redstone, Chair of the Board. "I believe that Midway has the resources and creative capability to once again be competitive with the best in the videogame business. The Board is confident that a new CEO will be selected who can fully utilize the opportunities presented by this next-generation console cycle to renew Midway's position as a major player in the videogame industry."

Sumner M. Redstone, Chairman of the Board and CEO of National Amusements, Inc., the controlling shareholder of Midway, said, "I look forward to helping Midway's Board choose an outstanding new CEO and I am pleased that we already have some highly qualified candidates in mind. Our new leader must have the proven capabilities and track record to lead Midway and to reclaim its place in the forefront of the fast growing videogame industry."

"I am excited to have the opportunity to lead our game teams and talented associates as we roll out our 2008 releases," said Matt Booty. "Our plans include significant front-line releases, ambitious new intellectual properties, reinvigorated franchises with well-established fan bases, and new offerings in the casual games space."

Mr. Booty has served Midway in progressively more responsible positions since 1991, most recently as Senior Vice President - Worldwide Studios. He succeeds David F. Zucker, who is leaving the company.

"I'm very excited to be part of Microsoft IEB at this key stage in the gaming industry," said Gosen. "Xbox 360 is now a mass-market gaming console, and with the recent ERP reduction we're poised to open the market for Xbox 360 even wider.

Games Industry Heavyweight Gosen Joins Xbox Europe

Senior Appointment Signals Greater Focus On Expanding The European Market For Xbox 360
LONDON - 20th March 2008: Microsoft today announced the appointment of David Gosen as VP, Strategic Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA. Gosen brings more than 20 years' experience with the games industry and with major consumer and consumer technology brands in Europe, and will enable the IEB EMEA organisation to focus on expanding the market for Xbox 360 in the region.

Gosen will be a key member of the Microsoft IEB EMEA leadership team, driving the communications strategy and all marketing for the division as well as having responsibility for the Xbox LIVE ® business in Europe. Reporting to Chris Lewis, VP, IEB EMEA, Gosen will have responsibility for expanding the market in Europe for Xbox 360 as the platform and portfolio grows to offer broader and more mass-market entertainment experiences for consumers of all ages, skills and interests.

Gosen joins the business at a major milestone in its lifecycle. The recent reduction in the estimated retail price (ERP) of Xbox 360 in EMEA has made the platform a mass-market proposition and allowed more consumers in the region to enjoy the ultimate in high-def entertainment.

"I'm very excited to be part of Microsoft IEB at this key stage in the gaming industry," said Gosen. "Xbox 360 is now a mass-market gaming console, and with the recent ERP reduction we're poised to open the market for Xbox 360 even wider. The content portfolio goes from strength to strength and is providing compelling experiences for a broader audience, and the titles we have coming up are massively appealing. Meanwhile Xbox LIVE continues to set the standards for online gaming and community - it is the first unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for consumers to find the friends, games and entertainment they want. I'm looking forward to joining the the Microsoft IEB team and inviting more and more people into the world of Xbox."

"We're very happy to welcome David to the Microsoft IEB leadership team," said Lewis. "We recently re-aligned to combine laser-sharp focus with strong industry and consumer marketing experience. With David leading strategic marketing, Phil Spencer leading MGS in Europe, and Richard Teversham as Business and Strategy Director, we are in a great position to leverage Xbox 360's European success to further widen the market for Xbox as a mass-market proposition"

Gosen has more than 20 years of senior management experience with blue-chip entertainment , consumer goods multinationals and venture backed enterprises. He most recently served as CEO of I-play Mobile Entertainment, where he drove the company to be one of the Top 5 mobile gaming publishers through a casual consumer focused strategy. Prior to that he was Managing Director of Nintendo, Europe where, over a 5-year period, he was responsible for leading Nintendo's significant European growth across console and handheld. He previously served in senior management positions at British Sky Broadcasting, Mercury One-to-One, Pepsico, and Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages.