Former Activision Blizzard executive Chris Paulson has been named Skybound Games‘ executive vice president and general manager of games publishing.
In his new role, Paulson will lead commercial strategy and go-to-market efforts for Skybound’s ambitious slate of games, including a new “secret project” Skybound revealed in connection with Paulson’s hiring announcement Monday. Per Skybound, he will lead the commercial launch of the under-wraps title, “which has been developing in stealth mode since last year.”
Paulson joins Skybound on the heels of Electronic Arts executive Jeff Chaiken being tapped as senior vice president of corporate development and strategy.
He most recently served as Activision Blizzard’s vice president of product management for the “Diablo” franchise. During his decade-long tenure at Activision Blizzard, Paulson’s biggest launches included “Diablo IV,” “Diablo Immortal” and “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.”
Paulson began his time at Activision Blizzard as chief of staff to CEO Bobby Kotick before moving on to lead the franchise finance team. Previously, Paulson was associate partner at McKinsey and Company.
“I am humbled and excited to join a company with such a rich history of creating fandom through compelling storytelling and world creation,” Paulson said. “Skybound’s legacy speaks for itself, and I can’t wait to collaborate with our talented development teams and build the publishing team to bring incredibly fun gaming experiences in those worlds to millions of fans. I’m especially excited about the secret project the team has already been working on; I can’t wait to help bring this exceptional game to the world!”
“With Chris’ remarkable track record in launching successful games, his strong leadership abilities, and his strategic approach to publishing, we are confident that he will elevate our iconic Skybound IP, delivering an exceptional experience to not only our fans, but entirely new audiences, in our new venture,” Skybound CEO David Alpert said.
