New CEO, platform and IP for K2 Network
Free-to-play publisher now headed up by Bjorn Book-Larsson
Bjorn Book-Larsson has been appointed as the new CEO of K2 Network and will head up a management reshuffle, after free-to-play company co-founder Joshua Hong stepped down from the role.
"This was a very amicable and planned management transition," CMO Rahul Sandil told Gamasutra.
"[The board] decided that it was time to bring a new perspective to the company," added Sandil, "given the fact that the industry is changing very significantly."
Hong still holds a position on the company board and remains an investor in the K2 Network, which operates the GamersFirst portal and publishes APB: Reloaded, War Rock and Fallen Earth.
Book-Larsson was formerly COO and CTO with the company and is also on the board of advisors for Titan Gaming.
Sandil denied rumours of power battles within the company, and confirmed that despite recent redundancies the company's American, Scottish and Indian operations would all continue. In fact, the company is switching focus to its own original IP and new Connect platform.
"The focus is now going to be on the platform, which was developed under Bjorn's leadership over the last three-and-a-half or four years," continued Sandil.
K2 Network bought the rights to APB in November 2010 and adapted the title to a free-to-play business model. It's now one of Steam's popular free-to-play titles.