Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog and 20-year veteran in the video game industry, has been appointed THQ's new President effectively immediately. Reporting directly to THQ Chairman and CEO Brian Farrell, he will be in charge of THQ's marketing, publishing, and product development.
Rubin has a track record of creating companies that have been sold to major companies, including Naughty Dog to Sony in 2001 and Flektor to Fox Interactive Media. Brian Farrell is more than thrilled to have Rubin on board and hopes that his prior success will propel THQ out of its recent financial struggles and current booth absence at E3 2012 arriving in a week:
Jason's proven track record in the industry speaks for itself, and he is one of the brightest minds in the business. We believe he can be a game changer and can contribute immensely to executing on our strategy of delivering quality connected core game experiences.
Rubin believes that THQ's recent focus on "wholly-owned IP has placed it in a perfect position to leverage future trends in the game business" and, as such, will be de-emphasizing licensed games and putting his efforts towards Darksiders II, Metro: Last Light, South Park: The Game, and Company of Heroes 2. Of course, top sellers WWE '13 and UFC Undisputed 4 should not be out of the picture, either.
THQ has also appointed Jason Kay, a co-founder of Flektor, as Chief Strategy Officer. Denny Bilson, Executive Vice President of Core Games, has resigned.
