Former Criterion VP joins UK indie developer

Ambitious UK independent games studio FreeStyleGames has announced the appointment of former Criterion VP and long-term industry veteran Chris Lee to the role of commercial director.

During his five years with Criterion Software, Lee was responsible for running the worldwide third-party sales and marketing division for the company's widely adopted RenderWare engine, signing multiple leading franchises such as GTA, Tony Hawk, Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty to adopt RenderWare and increasing the worldwide user base from 2 to 25 per cent of all console games in development.

"My role at Criterion gave me the opportunity to work with many of the industry's most successful development teams across the world. It provided a unique insight into what differentiates the genuinely triple A studios," Lee commented. "FreeStyle has what it takes in abundance. They are an extraordinarily talented team, whose innovation and passion are infectious; both within the team and to anyone they meet. I'm looking forward to helping them achieve the success they deserve and that the games industry needs."

FreeStyleGames was founded in 2002 by a team of industry professionals dedicated to the advancement of the UK independent development scene. The company currently employs just 26 staff, but is looking to expand rapidly as the studio continues development of its debut title, an as yet undisclosed game for the PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms.

Jamie Jackson, co-founder of FreeStyleGames, stated: "It's exciting times at FreeStyle, with the progress we're making on the game, and the forthcoming announcements, the team are really stoked. In addition to all that we're delighted to have Chris on board, we've known him for a while and his track record in the industry speaks for itself. His appointment shows how serious we are about establishing FreeStyle as a major player in the worldwide development community."