By Hector Cortez May 13, 2009, 14:22 GMT
Motion picture and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer and MTV Games today announced two executive appointments that officially mark the producer’s entrance into the video game industry. Industry veterans, Jim Veevaert and Jay Cohen, will lead Jerry Bruckheimer Games, Inc. as President of Production and President of Development respectively.
Jerry Bruckheimer and MTV Games today announced two executive appointments that officially mark the producer’s entrance into the video game industry.
Veevaert and Cohen will build a creative IP development studio focused on the development and production of interactive content and original intellectual property that convey and reflect the standards of Jerry Bruckheimer.
“Jim Veevaert and Jay Cohen are two of the most knowledgeable, brightest, and creative talents in this industry,” said Jerry Bruckheimer. “Throughout their careers, Jim and Jay have both demonstrated their unstoppable desire to advance the medium, which is exactly what we do with feature films and television. We are going to create content that challenges the way things are done and the experiences gamers have today.”
By working with only the best designers, developers, storytellers and artists, Veevaert and Cohen will incubate and develop projects that explore storytelling, foster creativity and challenge traditional game development boundaries.
A 15-year veteran in the interactive industry, Jim Veevaert spent the past eight years at Microsoft overseeing the Xbox 360’s largest franchises. As the Executive Producer for Halo 3, Veevaert was responsible for production and franchise management for the Halo Xbox 360 game series. He also managed Microsoft’s relationship with video game developer Bungie Studios. Prior to his work on the Halo series, Veevaert brought the Epic Games relationship to Microsoft, along with the Gears of War franchise. Veevaert led collaboration with the creative leads of Rare Ltd in the United Kingdom to expand the Viva Pinata franchise with an original television production and series of companion games.
A 13 year veteran in the interactive entertainment industry, Jay Cohen spent the past decade at Ubisoft building the French company’s North American subsidiary. During his tenure as Senior Vice President of Publishing, Cohen and his team successfully launched blockbuster franchises such as Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Prince of Persia, Rayman and Assassin’s Creed. Cohen has served as a member of, and currently sits as, Chairman of the Board for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
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