EA veteran to boost ISM in Asia

Indie games developer agency ISM (Interactive Studio Management) has announced the recruitment of ex-EA man Nicolas di Costanzo, as the organisation attempts to expand further into Asian markets.

Founded in 1996, ISM represents 10 triple-A development studios, including Digital Extremes, Nihilistic, n-Space, Silicon Knights, and more than 700 staffed developers. The organisation has offices in Southern California, Northern California, New York, and Japan and boasts of closing over 200 publishing deals - 20 with first party publishers.

As well as general manager of EA Japan Online, di Costanzo has experience as managing director of Vivendi Games Japan and COO of Atari Japan. He has also worked as a representative of mobile phone technology company EDGE.

"Nicolas di Costanzo's knowledge of the Japanese and Asian markets, together with his physical presence in Tokyo and his strong network of industry connections makes him a priceless asset," said Francois Masciopinto, senior partner of ISM.

"He will be a focal point for Asia-Pacific developers seeking our expertise to break out into the western world, and will be a conduit for our western clients seeking to penetrate the Japanese market," he added.