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  ↓ 26. Jason Rohrer, Developer of Unusual Video Games

  July 3, 2012 Update: Strategy game Diamond Trust of London is finally coming out this year, thanks to none other than Kickstarter. Why He’s Powerful When people want to hang video game art in a museum, they hang Jason Rohrer’s games. His simple, short game Passage evokes more discussion and emotional reaction than most other…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↑ 27. Pony Ma, CEO of Tencent

  July 3, 2012 Update: Tencent’s CEO goes up two placements for two reasons: 1) acquiring a stake in Epic Games, and 2) that new Call of Duty game they teamed up with Activision to make for China Feb 20, 2012 Update: Tencent will soon bring EA’s The Sims Social to China. Have fun, China! But…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 28. Ophir Lupu, Video Game Agent, UTA

  Why He’s Powerful There was Ophir Lupu at the blackjack table a few years ago, a wad of bills in his hand. There was Patrice Desilets, then the creative director of the multi-million-selling Assassin’s Creed series, sitting next to him. Ophir wanted to play. It was time to make money. A few months later, Desilets…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 29. Michel Guillemot, CEO of Gameloft

  Feb 20, 2012 Update: They did just post record Q4 sales. And they did sign a deal to bring their games to the platform of Power 40 powerhouse Gree. We’ll see how that goes. Not enough going on here for a move on the list. Not yet. Why He’s Powerful Michel Guillemot used to run…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  • 30. Andrew Wilson, Head of EA Sports

  July 3, 2012 Update: Adding UFC to EA Sports’ roster can’t hurt. Why He’s Powerful He’s only been on the job a year, so this listing may be more about the influence of the office than the man who holds it. For now. In years to come, Andrew Wilson’s priorities and the decisions he will…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  • 31. Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Angry Birds Marketing Officer

  July 3, 2012 Update: Rovio announces a new game and, get this, it stars a human and not birds. May 30, 2012 Update: Angry Birds Space hit 10 million downloads in three days. But as of May 9, Rovio announced that the game has been downloaded over one billion times. There are 7 billion people…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 33. Martin Tremblay, President of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment

  July 3, 2012 Update: A less than stellar E3 from the company that brought us Batman: Arkham City last year. Their big holiday games are… a Lord of the Rings DoTA, another Lego game and Scribblenauts on the Wii U. It sure feels like something’s missing. May 30, 2012 Update: The president of WBIE moves…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  NEW 32. David Perry, Founder of Gaikai

  Why He’s Powerful David Perry was the founder of Shiny Entertainment, the studio behind games like Earthworm Jim, MDK and Enter The Matrix. But roughly a year after the company’s merger with The Collective to form Double Helix Games, Perry moved on to form Gaikai, a streaming service for games. Perry had big plans for…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 34. Min-Liang Tan, Creative Director of Razer

  May 30, 2012 Update: The Creative Director of Razer moves up one position due to the shift in this month’s list. Feb 20, 2012 Update: Razer’s vaunted Blade gaming laptop is now a reality. And, if you’re willing to spend for portability as much as you would for performance, you’d like it. But until we…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 36. Yoshikazu Tanaka, Founder of Gree

  May 30, 2012 Update: Gree’s founder lost roughly $700 million after Japan outlawed the premium model used on their social games. Feb 20, 2012 Update: Gree’s social gaming platform is coming to the west in Q2 2012, so we’ll soon see what this company is all about and if they can be a contender outside…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 35. Jane McGonigal, Optimistic Game Designer

  July 3, 2012 Update: Jane McGonigal speaks at a Games for Change conference in NY, bringing up some interesting and powerful discussions May 30, 2012 Update: Jane McGonigal teams up with Oprah to make a game Feb 20, 2012 Update: She spoke at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in late January. No one else…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 38. Tim Schafer, Founder of Double Fine

  March 27, 2012 Update: Tim Schafer’s movement down a position is solely the responsibility of Kickstarter’s growing success in proving it’s not just a one-trick, Double Fine-fed pony. Why He’s Powerful Current founder of Double Fine Productions, Tim Schafer, gained recognition for his time at LucasArts, where he contributed to fan favorites such as Monkey…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  ↓ 37. Perry Chen, CEO of Kickstarter

  March 27, 2012 Update: Kickstarter continues to see the growth of many otherwise unfunded games, including Wasteland 2 that seemed fated to development hell but raised half a million in just 24 hours on Kickstarter Why He’s Powerful The crowd-funding site, Kickstarter, has been offering individuals and independent teams an opportunity to see their ideas…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  • 39. Ryozo Tsujimoto, Capcom Hit-Maker

  April 27, 2012 Update: Capcom makes a return to Power 40. Resident Evil 6 is shaping up to hopefully be a solid title in the much-loved franchise, while March’s release of Operation Raccoon City was met with strong sale numbers Why He’s Powerful His dad is the CEO. His brother, the president. You’d think with…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  NEW 40. BioWare Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk

  Why They’re Powerful The BioWare doctors are at the forefront of popular franchises like Baldur’s Gate and the more recent Mass Effect. Their latest release, Mass Effect 3 has been the topic of heated fans’ dislike for the infamous (famous?) ending. The controversy and push-back proved to be enough to start change at BioWare, when…

  Kotaku Published July 3, 2012
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  She’s Not Hiding From The Hate She’s Getting For Examining Video Games. She’s Exposing It.

  Anita Sarkeesian wanted to make a web series about how women are portrayed in video games. She asked the world for $6,000. Some of the people who thought that was interesting and worth doing have given her just shy of $159,000. Some of the people who thought it was not worth doing, have defaced her…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 3, 2012
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  Microsoft Snags Domain Name For ‘Xbox 8’ [UPDATE]

  Microsoft has secured the web domain for “xbox8.us” and “xbox8.org,” according to a new report. The Internet sleuths at Fusible uncovered that Microsoft won the domains back from a Chinese citizen in a case filed with the National Arbitration Forum. Other domains won in the dispute include XboxPhone.com, XboxTablet.com, XboxLiveTV.com, XboxCompanion.com. Interestingly enough, the Xbox…

  By Jason Schreier Published July 3, 2012
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  A Fifteen-Foot-Long Scarf for All Your Journeys

  Journey is, in many ways, the story of a scarf. Or at least, the scarf represents the breadth and depth of the story Journey has to offer. It lists your avatar’s story and encounters; it follows you from scorching desert sands to frozen snowbound wastelands. It flutters in the breeze behind you as you fly,…

  By Kate Cox Published July 3, 2012
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  Kotaku Water Cooler

  Welcome to Kotaku Water Cooler, the official spot for miscellaneous conversations. Today’s random posts that you’ll see below in the new discussion system are brought to you by me. So if you see random, cute animal pictures, you’ll know why. Enjoy! Photo: Shutterstock

  By Tina Amini Published July 3, 2012
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  You want to talk about the games you’re playing, loving and hating, don’t you? Then, head over to Talk Amongst Yourselves, the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Go to the TAY forum at this link and do what you’ve always done: share your thoughts…

  By Evan Narcisse Published July 3, 2012