Reporting to Phil Harrison, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, John will be responsible for the day-to-day management of Lionhead Studios.
Needham has been in the gaming industry since 2001, and was the former CEO of both Cryptic studios, and, most recently, Gazillion Entertainment. Needham also served as CFO at Sony Online Entertainment.
“This is a historic time in our industry and I’m excited, and honoured, to be joining Lionhead and Microsoft Studios,” said Needham. “Our vision is focused on building innovative gaming services and AAA experiences at Lionhead, and the rest of Microsoft Studios, which take advantage of Microsoft’s incredible hardware and software platforms. Personally, I can’t wait to get started.”
Phil Harrison adds: “It’s my pleasure to welcome John Needham to Microsoft Studios and Lionhead. He brings a wealth of proven executive leadership experience in the online gaming space to the company and I know he will confidently lead Lionhead towards an ambitious online future.”
