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Paul Sams has decided to leave his executive role at Blizzard in order to become the new CEO of Ready at Dawn. This comes right as Ready at Dawn opens up a new office in Austin, Texas.
(via Ready at Dawn)
Ready At Dawn, an internationally acclaimed independent video game developer, announced today the strategic hire of Blizzard Entertainment’s COO, Paul Sams, as Chief Executive Officer. Effective immediately, Sams will direct the company’s business operations and global growth initiatives. Ru Weerasuriya, Ready At Dawn’s co-Founder and current CEO, will now serve as President and Chief Creative Officer. Additionally, the company has expanded its operations to include a business hub in Austin, Texas.
“It is never easy finding someone to take over the reins of a company after this many years, but I cannot think of anyone better suited to guide the team as we look to the future. He is one of the most accomplished, respected and experienced leaders in our industry” said Ru Weerasuriya. “With Paul’s arrival, our studio in Irvine will turn its attention solely to creative and game development, while Austin will become the focus of our business endeavors. Paul’s expertise and industry knowledge positions us well to reach our company goals, including securing a strategic partner which will allow us to retain ownership of the transmedia IPs that we create.”
For the past 20 years, Sams served in key executive roles at Blizzard Entertainment, most recently working as the company’s Chief Operating Officer for the past decade. During his tenure, Sams played a key role in guiding the company from less than 50 employees to over 4,000 and to grow company value well in excess of $5 billion.
Over the last decade while Paul served as the company’s COO, he was responsible for all global functions outside of game and platform development. Paul played a key role in the launch and/or brand building of all of Blizzard’s key franchises including, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Warcraft, StarCraft, Battle.net, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch.
He was instrumental in helping to lead the company through its most rapid period of growth after the launch of World of Warcraft, which has grown to be one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history.
“Ready at Dawn is one of the best pure game developers in the industry. After 12 years, they remain an independent developer true to their craft of creating gameplay in unique and immersive worlds filled with engaging characters and experiences,” said Sams. “Much like when I joined Blizzard, my role is to create an environment in which our talented team can focus on making games without the business constraints and limitations that can hamper the creative process.” Paul serves on the executive board of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“It is never easy finding someone to take over the reins of a company after this many years, but I cannot think of anyone better suited to guide the team as we look to the future. He is one of the most accomplished, respected and experienced leaders in our industry” said Ru Weerasuriya. “With Paul’s arrival, our studio in Irvine will turn its attention solely to creative and game development, while Austin will become the focus of our business endeavors. Paul’s expertise and industry knowledge positions us well to reach our company goals, including securing a strategic partner which will allow us to retain ownership of the transmedia IPs that we create.”
For the past 20 years, Sams served in key executive roles at Blizzard Entertainment, most recently working as the company’s Chief Operating Officer for the past decade. During his tenure, Sams played a key role in guiding the company from less than 50 employees to over 4,000 and to grow company value well in excess of $5 billion.
Over the last decade while Paul served as the company’s COO, he was responsible for all global functions outside of game and platform development. Paul played a key role in the launch and/or brand building of all of Blizzard’s key franchises including, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Warcraft, StarCraft, Battle.net, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch.
He was instrumental in helping to lead the company through its most rapid period of growth after the launch of World of Warcraft, which has grown to be one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history.
“Ready at Dawn is one of the best pure game developers in the industry. After 12 years, they remain an independent developer true to their craft of creating gameplay in unique and immersive worlds filled with engaging characters and experiences,” said Sams. “Much like when I joined Blizzard, my role is to create an environment in which our talented team can focus on making games without the business constraints and limitations that can hamper the creative process.” Paul serves on the executive board of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
(via Ready at Dawn)