Disney Online exec to head up ex-Guerilla Games startup
Arthur Houtman joins Vanguard Entertainment as group CEO
Netherlands firm Vanguard Entertainment Group, founded by former Guerilla Games senior staff, has appointed former Disney director of Online Games Arthur Houtman as its group CEO.
Vanguard was formed in September by Guerilla founders Martin de Ronde and Michiel Mol, with the former acting as CCO.
The studio's first announced project is Gatling Guns, to be distributed on PSN, XBLA and PC with the help of EA's Partners scheme.
Houtman oversaw a number of MMOs during his tenure at Disney (which was today revealed to be struggling in the games space), and prior to that was Atari's VP of Product Development.
"Over the past few years I've been witness to an online revolution which is yet to properly hit the world of consoles," offered Houtman, "and I can't wait to apply the experience I gained at Disney Online to the PSN and XBLA products Vanguard is developing."
Added co-founder Michiel Mol, "With Vanguard's mission revolving around merging the best of online gaming with that of console gaming, Arthur's combined experience in both those markets fits our strategy perfectly and we are convinced he can execute on the strategy accordingly."
Vanguard's other directors, CCO de Ronde and COO Guy Melis, will report directly to Houtman.