Vivendi Universal Publishing Gets A New CEO
Never heard of Vivendi Universal Publishing before? Well you should have. Especially considering they own certain companies like, oh I don't know... Sierra and Blizzard Entertainment perhaps?
Published: June 11, 2001
That's right, Vivendi Universal Publishing is getting a new CEO. This is a name that you will undoubtedly become familiar with more and more as time progresses, if not because they own both Sierra and Blizzard, but also have many new PS2 games on the horizon. Including titles such as the following:
[blockquote][li]Tribes
[li]Half-Life
[li]COPS
[li]No One Lives Forever
[li]No One Lives Forever: The Sequel
[li]The Thing
[li]Jurassic Park
[li]The Mummy Returns[/blockquote]Previous titles they have published include The Mummy, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and The Grinch
So now that you and the company are acquainted, on with the story...
Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) has announced appointment of Kenneth D. Cron as the new CEO of its Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) division. Cron replaces former CEO Hubert Joly, who will focus on his role as Senior Vice President, North American Integration, at Vivendi Universal. Joly has held the dual roles since the December 2000 formation of Vivendi Universal.
In his new role, Cron will oversee and direct the Games division's global strategy. He will look to advance the division's development of key brand franchises, while focusing on the strategic objectives of cross-platform distribution, global expansion and the development of online subscription-model content. Cron reports to Agnes Touraine, Vice Chairman and CEO of VU Publishing.
The Games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing is one of the world's leading publishers of interactive console, PC and online-based entertainment. VU Games is comprised of four business units - Blizzard Entertainment, the Flipside Network, Sierra and Universal interactive Studios. The company leverages its world-class content with industry-leading global sales and distribution capabilities. Its award-winning studios are responsible for some of the industry's best selling franchises, including Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft; Sierra On-Line's Half-Life, Tribes, Hoyle and You Don't Know Jack; and Universal Interactive Studios' Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.
[blockquote]"Vivendi Universal Games is a dynamic organization and Ken Cron is a dynamic leader," said Touraine. "He is an excellent choice to lead this exceptional team."[/blockquote]Cron, 44, was formerly CEO of the Flipside Network, a VU Games property comprised of Flipside.com, iwin.com, Uproar.com and Virtual Vegas. At Flipside, Cron was responsible for the company's strategic direction and day-to-day operations. Cron was Chairman and CEO of Uproar Inc., prior to Flipside's March 2001 acquisition of the company. He led Uproar to become one of the 20 most popular websites in the world, with almost 12 million unique visitors.
Prior to his tenure at Uproar, Cron spent over 20 years at CMP Media. Under his leadership, CMP grew from a trade publishing company into a publicly traded media company with revenues in excess of $500 million. As the President of Publishing, Cron was responsible for all the company's U.S. businesses, including its print publications, tradeshows/conferences and marketing and consulting services, and he spearheaded the company's entry onto the Internet. Cron was part of the executive team which, in July 1997, took CMP public with a $100 million Nasdaq offering and which, in June 1999, sold the company for $920 million to Miller Freeman, Inc., part of the $4 billion UK-based United News & Media.
[blockquote]"Vivendi Universal Games has the best original content from some of the best studios in the world," said Cron. "I look forward to the opportunity to build on the terrific work done by Hubert and his team over the past two years."
"There are enormous benefits to being part of the Vivendi Universal family and I am particularly excited by the opportunity to leverage key Games franchises across platforms, media and distribution channels," Cron continued.[/blockquote]Cron replaces Hubert Joly, who since December 2000 has held the dual roles of CEO of Vivendi Universal Games, as well as Senior Vice President of North American Integration for Vivendi Universal. He will now devote full attention to his integration responsibilities.
We have word that VU Games will have many major upcoming announcements, so rest assured that we will bring you any further news as it becomes available.
[blockquote][li]Tribes
[li]Half-Life
[li]COPS
[li]No One Lives Forever
[li]No One Lives Forever: The Sequel
[li]The Thing
[li]Jurassic Park
[li]The Mummy Returns[/blockquote]Previous titles they have published include The Mummy, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and The Grinch
So now that you and the company are acquainted, on with the story...
Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) has announced appointment of Kenneth D. Cron as the new CEO of its Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) division. Cron replaces former CEO Hubert Joly, who will focus on his role as Senior Vice President, North American Integration, at Vivendi Universal. Joly has held the dual roles since the December 2000 formation of Vivendi Universal.
In his new role, Cron will oversee and direct the Games division's global strategy. He will look to advance the division's development of key brand franchises, while focusing on the strategic objectives of cross-platform distribution, global expansion and the development of online subscription-model content. Cron reports to Agnes Touraine, Vice Chairman and CEO of VU Publishing.
The Games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing is one of the world's leading publishers of interactive console, PC and online-based entertainment. VU Games is comprised of four business units - Blizzard Entertainment, the Flipside Network, Sierra and Universal interactive Studios. The company leverages its world-class content with industry-leading global sales and distribution capabilities. Its award-winning studios are responsible for some of the industry's best selling franchises, including Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft; Sierra On-Line's Half-Life, Tribes, Hoyle and You Don't Know Jack; and Universal Interactive Studios' Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.
[blockquote]"Vivendi Universal Games is a dynamic organization and Ken Cron is a dynamic leader," said Touraine. "He is an excellent choice to lead this exceptional team."[/blockquote]Cron, 44, was formerly CEO of the Flipside Network, a VU Games property comprised of Flipside.com, iwin.com, Uproar.com and Virtual Vegas. At Flipside, Cron was responsible for the company's strategic direction and day-to-day operations. Cron was Chairman and CEO of Uproar Inc., prior to Flipside's March 2001 acquisition of the company. He led Uproar to become one of the 20 most popular websites in the world, with almost 12 million unique visitors.
Prior to his tenure at Uproar, Cron spent over 20 years at CMP Media. Under his leadership, CMP grew from a trade publishing company into a publicly traded media company with revenues in excess of $500 million. As the President of Publishing, Cron was responsible for all the company's U.S. businesses, including its print publications, tradeshows/conferences and marketing and consulting services, and he spearheaded the company's entry onto the Internet. Cron was part of the executive team which, in July 1997, took CMP public with a $100 million Nasdaq offering and which, in June 1999, sold the company for $920 million to Miller Freeman, Inc., part of the $4 billion UK-based United News & Media.
[blockquote]"Vivendi Universal Games has the best original content from some of the best studios in the world," said Cron. "I look forward to the opportunity to build on the terrific work done by Hubert and his team over the past two years."
"There are enormous benefits to being part of the Vivendi Universal family and I am particularly excited by the opportunity to leverage key Games franchises across platforms, media and distribution channels," Cron continued.[/blockquote]Cron replaces Hubert Joly, who since December 2000 has held the dual roles of CEO of Vivendi Universal Games, as well as Senior Vice President of North American Integration for Vivendi Universal. He will now devote full attention to his integration responsibilities.
We have word that VU Games will have many major upcoming announcements, so rest assured that we will bring you any further news as it becomes available.
