The new CEO is one David Zucker, who was previously COO of Playboy Enterprises, and prior to that worked in senior roles at Disney-owned sports group ESPN. His appointment reflects Midway’s move towards more mature-themed games, and it’s presumably hoped that his experience at Playboy will be of use in this sector.
No new chief operating officer for the company has been named as yet. Nicastro will remain with the company as chairman of the board of directors.
Midway has struggled to carve a place for itself in the games market of late, with revivals of classic franchises such as Defender proving largely unsuccessful. The company was recently forced to consolidate its operations in southern California, a move which involved the shutting down of its long-established Milpitas development studio, one of the last remnants of the Atari empire.
The company’s new move towards more mature products, along with the appointment of Zucker as CEO, is seen as a welcome move in most quarters. There is some optimism among financial analysts that Zucker will preside over a return to profitability for the publisher.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
