Namco Bandai Nabs Ex-Codies, 2K Games, Atari Execs

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Namco Bandai Games America said Thursday that it hired former top execs from Codemasters, 2K Games, and Atari in marketing, online development, and management roles. The company hired Catherine Fowler as SVP of marketing, Robert Stevenson as VP of online development, and Graeme Bayless as studio general manager. The three will "help grow [Namco Bandai's] North American operations," according to Namco Bandai Games America chief Genichi Ito. At Namco Bandai, Fowler will head up the company's North American marketing strategies, corporate branding, and communication for the company's products and franchises, which include Tekken, Soul Calibur, Dead To Rights, and Splatterhouse. She was formerly VP of publishing at UK-based publisher Codemasters. She previously served as VP of sales and marketing at Konami Digital Entertainment. Stevenson has the responsibility of "growing the company’s online offerings in areas such as MMOGs, direct to digital titles, platforms, community services and premium downloadable content," a fast-growing segment. Prior to Namco Bandai, he was VP of business development and worldwide publishing at Atari/Infogrames. Bayless will oversee Namco Bandai's slate of in-development titles, both internally and externally developed. He was previously VP of special projects at 2K Games, and was also president and general manager of 2K's Los Angeles studio. He also worked in leadership positions at Crystal Dynamics and EA Tiburon.