BioWare/Pandemic exec appointed CEO of VG Holdings

Greg Richardson has stepped up to take the position of CEO of VG Holdings, after the departure of John Riccitiello.

VG Holdings is the operating company of Bioware/Pandemic Studios, the combined development teams that formed an alliance in November 2005 with help from private equity firm Elevation Partners.

"The BioWare/Pandemic alliance broke new ground with two of the top independent game studios coming together to collaborate on creative ideas and cutting edge technologies while supporting distinctive cultures and strengths," said Roger McNamee, MD and co-founder of Elevation Partners.

"A catalyst in the creation of this unique venture, Greg is the natural choice to work with the BioWare/Pandemic executives as they come to create award-winning titles and expand their talent base."

Richardson has been a senior executive of BioWare/Pandemic since the formation of the partnership, recently holding the position of vice president of commercial operations, and has also held a general manger position at EA Partners.

BioWare/Pandemic have a number of high-profile titles in development, including Mass Effect for Xbox 360 and the multiformat Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

"One of our goals at BioWare/Pandemic is to create an amazing environment to attract and support the industry's best talent," commented Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare.

"Greg Richardson shares this vision and we look forward to working with him even more closely in the future as he partners with us to help us build true 'event' products that will have a huge impact on our industry."