Tantalus appointments
Joss Ellis and Mat Bettinson join Melbourne-based developer; David Giles promoted to COO.
Media Release: 28 July 2008
For Immediate Release
Melbourne-based developer Tantalus today announced three new management appointments, aligned with its strategy of becoming one of the world’s leading independent game developers. Established in 1994, Tantalus is already considered a leader in the handheld space, with ten titles released on the DS and PSP platforms. Combined unit sales from Tantalus titles in the last year alone were in excess of two million.
Into this exciting mix now comes highly credentialed veteran Joss Ellis, who takes the reigns of Director of Development at Tantalus. Joss has in excess of twenty years of games industry experience, previously serving as Director of European Development at EA, VP of International Development at Virgin Interactive, and then Chief Operating Officer at Argonaut.
Joss will report to David Giles, who has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Tantalus. David will oversee the company’s expansion, including the likely establishment of a new studio later in 2008.
Also joining Tantalus, as Business Development Manager, is Mat Bettinson. Mat has worked extensively as a games journalist and in games Marketing and PR in the UK, and most recently served as UK County Manager for Alienware.
“These new hires signify our commitment to building the right base upon which to grow our business. We’re pretty ambitious, and recognise that we need strong upper management to achieve our growth objectives,” said Tom Crago, Tantalus CEO. “Joss is obviously a terrific hire for us, while David’s promotion is well deserved. Mat’s role too is crucial, and will ensure we’re completely across our market, and able to capitalise on the opportunities that fit best with our strategy. It’s almost scary to say it but we now have a combined 90 years of video game industry experience among our upper management!”
Tantalus will ship The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon on DS with Sierra later this year, while a number of unannounced titles on Wii, DS, PSP and PC remain in development.
Contact Information:
For more information about Tantalus, visit www.tantalus.com.au
All enquiries, contact:
Tom Crago - CEO
tom@tantalus.com.au
Ph: +61 3 9694 0900