UK developer Lionhead Studios today announced that veteran MMO maker John Needham is to fill the role left vacant by the resignation of studio founder Peter Molyneux in March 2012.
Needham will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Fable producer and report to Microsoft's vice-president of the interactive entertainment business, Phil Harrison.
Working in the games industry for 12 years Needham has been CEO of City of Heroes and Champion's Online developer Cryptic Studios. He has also been CEO of Gazillion Games which is presently developing the Marvel Heroes MMO which may suggest Lionhead are developing a MMO of their own, possibly set in the Fable universe for the next Xbox.
"This is a historic time in our industry and I'm excited, and honoured, to be joining Lionhead and Micrsoft Studios," Needham commented in a press release. "Our vision is focused on building innovative gaming services and AAA experiecnes at Lionhead, and the rest of Microsoft Studios, which take advantage of Microsoft's incredible hardware and software platforms. Personally, I can't wait to get started," he added.
Phil Harrison said of the appointment "It's my pleasure to welcome John Needham to Microsoft Studios and Lionhead. He brings a wealth of proven executive leadership experience in the online gaming space to the company and I know he will confidently lead Lionhead towards an ambitious online future."
Peter Molyneux left Lionhead last year to establish mobile development studio 22Cans which has released Curiosity: What's in the Cube for iOS devices.