John-Schappert
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Nexon invests in former EA, Zynga COO's studio, Shiver Entertainment
Online games publisher Nexon has invested in Shiver Entertainment, the studio founded by former EA and Zynga COO (not at the same time, of course), John Schappert. Schappert previously founded Tiburon Entertainment, the developer behind the Madden series. Schappert started Shiver in December, and with Nexon's investment and a multi-year publishing deal, it intends to develop free-to-play games. "Shiver Entertainment is focused on creating the world's best free-to-play games and by working together, we combine Nexon's expertise in online free-to-play games and global publishing capability with our AAA Western-oriented games," Schappert says in a press release. For those heading to trivia night later on: "Tiburon," the name of Schappert's Madden studio, is the Spanish word for "shark," and "shiver" is the term for a group of sharks. The more you know.
Zynga CFO quits for senior finance job at Facebook, more changes
Zynga's Chief Financial Officer Dave Wehner has resigned to take a senior finance position at Facebook, causing a wave of corporate changes at Zynga. The most notable shift places Mark Vranesh, the former CFO who was demoted when Wehner joined Zynga in 2010, back into his previous role alongside his current position as chief accounting officer.Former Chief Mobile Officer David Ko is now chief operations officer. The COO position has been vacant since August 2012, when John Schappert resigned. Barry Cottle, former executive vice president of business and corporate development, is now chief revenue officer, and Steven Chiang, previous executive vice president of games, is now president of games.In an internal memo, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus wished Wehner the best of luck."These changes come at an important time," Pincus wrote. "We are positioning ourselves for long-term growth and I'm confident that we have the breadth and depth of management talent to deliver on our mission of connecting the world through games. We are also today reaffirming our 2012 financial outlook that we communicated on October 24, 2012."This corporate shake-up follows a larger rumble in October that saw Zynga lay-off five percent of its full-time workforce, including closing its Boston Studio, significantly reducing staff in Austin, retiring 13 games, reducing investment in The Ville and considering closures in Japan and the UK. Zynga reported a loss of $52.7 million in Q3 2012, compared with a profit of $12.5 million in Q3 2011.
Zynga COO John Schappert resigns
Zynga's chief operations officer John Schappert has resigned, according to Fortune. This announcement comes just barely one week after Schappert's responsibilities at the developer were revised to no longer include the oversight of game development. Schappert's departure is effective immediately."John has made significant contributions to the games industry throughout his career and we appreciate all that he has done for Zynga," CEO Mark Pincus told Fortune. "John leaves as a friend of the company and we wish him all the best."Prior to working at Zynga, Schappert served as Corporate Vice President of Live at Microsoft, as well as COO of Electronic Arts -- a company that happens to be suing Zynga as we speak.
Zynga COO Schappert no longer in charge of games
Former Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Live and former Electronic Arts COO John Schappert is now the former guy in charge of games at Zynga. Schappert, who holds the position of Chief Operating Officer at Zynga, was stripped of his role overseeing game development, but is still with the company."We can confirm that in order to unify our company around a multiplatform approach, we reorganized our teams in July to integrate web and mobile groups," a Zynga spokesperson told the WSJ. "Our players expect their favorite games on every platform and we want to unlock everyone in the company to continue moving quickly against the multi platform opportunity."Now is not a good time for Zynga between lowered financial forecasts, awkwardly desperate business propositions and, as of this week, an insider trading lawsuit. The company's stock has dropped 70 percent from its initial price of $10 in just the last eight months.
Zynga welcoming Konami, Rebellion, and Playdemic to Zynga.com
Zynga is expanding the reach of its newly launched Zynga.com platform, with VP of platform partners Rob Dyer telling attendees of a GDC 2012 talk this afternoon that Konami, Rebellion, and Playdemic will all be contributing titles to Zynga's recently launched web portal. Moreover, Dyer teased Konami's game as a "stealth project" that will "debut soon."No word was given on the other projects from Rebellion and Playdemic, but we're following up for more info. Like, right now.Update: This piece originally speculated that the title was Metal Gear related, due to its "stealth" wording; however, Zynga PR tells us what the wording really means is that Konami is working on the project "quietly." With the project coming "soon," it shouldn't take too long to find out exactly what Dyer's carefully worded speech was referring to.
EA COO John Schappert resigns, reportedly heads for Zynga
Former Microsoft corporate vice president of Live -- and now former EA COO -- John Schappert has left EA and is reportedly heading to the greener pastures of Zynga. A Securities and Exchange Commission filing this morning confirmed Schappert's departure, official as of this past Monday. A "source close to the matter" told Reuters that Schappert has plans to work at Zynga in some capacity, though his role at the company (if a role even currently exists) has yet to be confirmed. EA confirmed Schappert's departure to us, but declined to offer a comment regarding his decision to leave.
EA showing off 'marquee' title in 3D at this year's E3
[Image Credit: Frank Reese] Amidst the flurry of information in yesterday's investor call, EA COO John Schappert loosed a handful of interesting tidbits about his company's presence at this year's E3. Did you know that the publisher's sports arm will be showing off new titles across the board, as well as unveiling unannounced games "that make use of the new motion controllers from Sony and Microsoft" Neither did we! Okay, alright, we probably could've guessed that much. But we certainly didn't expect Mr. Schappert to say, "We will also show a marquee title in breathtaking 3D." Following up with him via email this afternoon, he told Joystiq, "We purposely didn't give more detail so we could keep the excitement up for E3 -- so you'll have to wait until then to find out!" We pressed on whether he meant Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (spotted running in 3D earlier this year at PAX East) or if he meant a new title, but were told that we'll just have to wait and see. What we can say with unflinching certainty, however, is that the company will be showing off the recently announced Hasbro Family Game Night 3 at its presser. Sorry, we're suckers for Clue. Did that not do it for you? [Via Videogamer]
GDC: EA's Schappert touts DLC as most profitable form of digital distribution
EA's chief operating officer John Schappert had a fireside chat with Alex Pham of the Los Angeles Times about "mythbusting" at GDC today. Unfortunately, not many myths were actually busted -- other than the one we heard that everything at GDC is exciting! But Schappert did speak briefly about DLC, talking up the fact that Dragon Age: Origins DLC has made over a million dollars (and that was by November's count!). He went on to explain that digital distribution, in all its forms, earned $575 million dollars for EA last year, and the publisher placed its expectations for this year at $750 million. "The fastest growing area of digital distribution -- and that includes subscriptions and microtransactions -- is downloadable content," Schappert said. "It's the extension of your current game through expansion packs and downloadable content."
EA's John Schappert comments on Activision & Infinity Ward situation
EA's John Schappert spoke on the sticky situation regarding Activision and Infinity Ward at GDC today, and rather than put a spin on what he said, we'll let the man speak for himself: "I'm sure there's two sides to that story, I'm certainly not passing judgement," Schappert said. "On the human side, they're two great guys. I'm disappointed on a couple of fronts. I'm disappointed because I think Jason and Vince, on the human side, are two great guys. I know them personally, and they've done great things. And I think they're two of the best creative leaders in our space, and to think that they're going to be spending their future dealing with litigation and lawyers rather than crafting the next great experience." "I don't think that's good for them," Schappert continued. "I don't think that's good for our industry. I think that's disappointing. I hope that they find a way to make games and focus on that during this period." "I think the other disappointing thing is that, rivalries aside, Modern Warfare 2 is a great game," Schappert concluded. "It's the biggest launch our industry has seen, it's a great franchise. I'm putting my consumer industry fan-hat on to think that there could be some challenges -- what's the future of that franchise? I don't know what's going to pan out. I feel bad for Jason and Vince and the franchise itself because they're great leaders and it's a great franchise for our industry."
EA's Schappert shares five money-making tips
EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert dropped five tips for making money in the industry over the next three years on the D.I.C.E. audience today. Before getting to those, though, Schappert acknowledged that EA didn't give Dead Space or Mirror's Edge the marketing support those titles deserved. He confessed, "We could have done better and these titles deserved more." He referenced the Dante's Inferno Superbowl ad and the marketing deluge for Mass Effect 2 as examples of the kind of marketing the publisher should be doing for more of its games. As for Schapper's tips: Commit yourself to quality. (Okay, that's fairly self explanatory and definitely a motto all publishers should practice.) Get more from your marketing. (In other words, don't do what EA did to Dead Space and Mirror's Edge.) Invest in the future. (EA's pushing this one with its sweeping DLC and online strategy.) Don't abandon your consumer base. (Digital distribution is important, but Schappert believes that discs aren't going the way of the dodo anytime soon. He warns, "Don't jump off that shiny disc too soon.") Illegitimi non carborundum. (A polite translation might be: "Don't let the cynics get you down," even when things look really bad. A more colloquial expression of this phrase: "Don't worry, be happy.")
Schappert clarifies EA's sweeping DLC and online strategy
During this week's quarterly earning's report, EA COO John Schappert answered an investor question with a somewhat vague but potentially far-reaching comment regarding the publisher's future strategy for implementing online functionality into its games. "In fiscal 2011 [from April 31, 2010 to March 31, 2011], every one of EA's releases will have an online component, both downloadable content and online play," Schappert said, according to a VG247 report. CFO Eric Brown then cited Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network as the company's "most recent example" of how this plan might manifest. The obvious question: Does the plan apply to all platforms, including Wii, DS, PSP, and mobile? Schappert clarified to Joystiq today: "My statement wasn't in reference to any specific platform as most of our titles are multiplatform and have different features per platform. Though you can expect our PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 titles to have very robust online features. Of course, depending on the title, this may extend to other platforms as well." While this clarification is not exactly the firestarter statement one might interpret from Schappert's original comment, the plan still raises concerns -- based on recent experiences -- that EA games' online components could continue to induce headaches so long as they are tied to EA.com accounts and the issues that have arisen as EA has increased its DLC efforts. If the plan is to include online components in all EA games in the future, then the wrinkles need to be ironed out of Project Ten Dollar now.
Madden 10 has shipped 3.9 million copies
EA may be hurting, but there are still some bright spots, like when it announced Madden NFL 10's sales figures during its quarterly conference call with investors. The publisher revealed that the company "sold" 3.9 million copies globally, which isn't entirely accurate, as we've learned those are "sell-in" figures -- a fancy way of saying "shipped." EA's John Schappert stated that Madden had a rough start in August, with sales down 19 percent from the prior year, but that it rallied up eight percent year-over-year in September, thanks to the PS3 price drop. The company claims that Madden 10 has sold five percent more than last year's iteration on PS3 and Xbox 360 combined, as of the end of September. Not shabby for a down economy!
Former EA COO says EA is in 'investment mode,' focusing on digital distribution
Right before hitting the ol' dusty trail for Playdom, now ex-EA COO John Pleasants sat down with Reuters for an interview all about the future of EA. In it, he speaks to the multifaceted future of EA (especially with regards to business models), as well as the importance of EA's current "investor mode," saying the company will announce new deals with various social networking services "some time in the near future." Though we're not sure if the recent change in guard from Pleasants to Microsoft alum John Schappert will alter what the ex-COO said to Reuters, things like the recently announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online point to "not likely." This isn't exactly a dramatic change from statements that Pleasants has made in the past regarding the company's business strategy, so it remains to be seen whether or not Schappert will steer the EA ship in another direction or stay the course.[Via Edge]
John Schappert leaves Microsoft, returns to EA
The high-stakes executive trading game between Microsoft and Electronic Arts continues! John Schappert – corporate vice president of LIVE, software and services at Microsoft since 2007 and, before that, founder of Madden-dev Tiburon at EA – is returning to EA to replace John Pleasants as COO, reports IndustryGamers. Pleasants is headed to social gaming company Playdom. Schappert was brought on as COO and Pleasants – taking the hint, we'd say – "elected to pursue another opportunity," EA said.Schappert may be familiar to many of you as the man delivering many of Microsoft's Xbox keynotes of late, including the most recent keynote at E3 this month. Effective July 14 – and after less than two years on the job at Xbox – Schappert will return to EA. "After nearly two decades working in or around this company, I've got EA in my blood," he said. "This is a team that is intensely focused on quality and innovation. I'm looking forward to rejoining EA as Chief Operating Officer and helping grow the business on new platforms and in new markets."EA bossman John Riccitiello said, "We are thrilled to welcome John Schappert back to EA. He has a great track record as a leader and innovator in our industry. His years of experience with EA and in Microsoft's Xbox business, provide him great insight into recognizing what consumers want." Of course, following the current pattern, one would expect another EA executive to leave Electronic Arts for Microsoft, in the great Mattrick, Moore, and Schappert tradition. Microsoft is looking to break with tradition and leave Schappert's position unfilled, telling IndustryGamers, "Marc Whitten and Phil Spencer will lead their respective businesses, LIVE Services and Microsoft Game Studios, reporting directly to Don Mattrick. Microsoft has complete confidence in the leadership of Marc and Phil and that their teams will remain focused and on track as we ramp up for this holiday."G'luck, John! Tell Peter that Microsoft says, "Hi!"Source – John Schappert Returns to EA as Chief Operating OfficerSource – Playdom Names John Pleasants CEO
Activision got the heads up about Project Natal
If there was one person we felt bad for during Microsoft's otherwise stellar press conference, it was Tony Hawk, whose motion-sensing skateboard peripheral for Tony Hawk: Ride seemed to be rendered obsolete literally moments after its introduction thanks to MS's new Project Natal. But Microsoft's John Schappert he likely wasn't caught by surprise."Activision certainly had seen our video and stuff like that, but I think in defense of Tony Hawk and what they're doing, that product is shipping this year and it has a very real street date," he said. "I think that product, just like many other peripherals is groundbreaking today. Natal is tomorrow."Fair enough. But if you see Tony Hawk walking around with a single tear anytime soon, you'll know why.
Microsoft not committed to biannual 360 dashboard releases
For the first two and a half years of the Xbox 360's lifespan, owners eagerly looked forward to regular "spring" and "fall" updates, packing more functionality into their consoles through (what Microsoft marketing would later call) the "magic of software." With the absence of a spring update this year and the subsequent announcement of the New Xbox Experience we wanted to know if Microsoft would return to the biannual updates ... So we asked John Schappert during our sitdown earlier this week in Tokyo. He said, "I don't know if we're going to tie ourselves to a spring fall release schedule" and continued, "I like staying focused on bigger, more impactful releases ... maybe it'll be twice a year, maybe less frequently, to-be-determined." Speaking of what those future updates could consist of, Schappert said that Microsoft is asking itself, "What's the next big launch? What do we bring? When can we bring it? And how can we do it in a big way?"The NXE is certainly a bigger, more impactful release. We're assuming, however, that Microsoft doesn't plan on reinventing the wheel every couple years in which case what "big" functionality should we expect in future Dashboard updates, regardless of when they're released? No, really, we're asking you.%Gallery-27601%
Schappert: 'No immediate plans' to delist XBLA titles
Were you worried your procrastination would be irrevocable when you learned that Rocky & Bullwinkle – an Xbox Live Arcade title you'd flirted with for months – could have been summarily "delisted" from the 360's Marketplace for no reason other than a horrible review average and a notable lack of enthusiasm from the console's constituents? Fret no more! Microsoft's John Schappert told us yesterday that the company has "no immediate plans to act on delisting" and, in fact, that little brouhaha earlier this year was simply the company setting "parameters by which [they] can delist" content. With the New Xbox Experience promising an easier-to-use Marketplace, the existing retail mess will (ostensibly) be cleaned up and the XBLA shovelware shouldn't get in the way of what you're really there for: Rocky and Bullwinkle.
TGS 08: John Schappert on NXE, Halo 3: Recon, and Xbox in Japan
Following his TGS keynote, Microsoft's John Schappert crammed himself into a stuffy hotel room with about a dozen representatives from various gaming outlets, including yours truly. Tasked with peppering Schappert with questions, we asked about the sales figures he cited in the keynote (were those worldwide figures?), the decision to delay the Halo 3: Recon announcement from E3 to TGS (do the Japanese even play Halo?), the spring / fall update schedule, and Microsoft's plans to delist XBLA content (don't hold your breath). Instead of reading our condensed version, we've embedded the audio below for your listening pleasure. [MP3 download]
Microsoft: 'Miis didn't influence Avatars. Honest. No, really.'
What's that you say? Microsoft's new Avatars system for the Xbox 360 is just a rip-off of Nintendo's Miis? Poppycock and slander! Microsoft man John Schappert has explained to MCV that Avatars are merely a natural development of Microsoft's online strategy. Like, obviously."It'd be remiss to say that we don't enjoy playing on the other systems and we have a lot of respect for the work that Miyamoto-san and Nintendo do," remarked Schappert, warming up for a "but," "but I think it's a logical extension of our Gamercard, Gamertag and Achievements." Commence reverse peristalsis!Schappert's denial is kind of predictable, as nobody will ever be able to absolutely prove just how much Miis influenced Avatars. With Schappert's beloved Miyamoto admitting to being "quite flattered" by Avatars, we have a hunch about what Nintendo might think.
What do you want to know about the 'new Xbox experience'?
So, we're going to be talking to Xbox Live boss John Schappert in a few and we're just stumped about what to ask him about all the changes to Xbox Live ... OK, no, we're not actually stumped, we're professionals after all. But let it never be said that we didn't try to make you feel a part of the team.We have some ideas of our own, but we really do want to know what's on your mind. What do you want to know, nay, need to know about Avatars, Xbox Live parties and all the rest? Oh, but act quick, we're talking to him just a bit.
