Jagex announces executive appointments as focus grows on extending Product and Publishing operations
Former NCSOFT West SVP John Burns appointed SVP Publishing, Neil McClarty becomes VP Product Management and Cassia Curran joins Jagex from NetEase as Head of Business Development.
Jagex has strengthened its publishing and product operations with the appointment of seasoned industry executives, naming John Burns, formerly of NCSOFT, TRION and Electronic Arts as Senior Vice President, Publishing, and, following a five-year tenure with NetEase in China, Cassia Curran as Head of Business Development. Jagex also announced that Neil McClarty, previously senior product director, has been appointed Vice President, Product Management.
The appointments come as Jagex extends its iconic RuneScape titles to mobile, invests in the development of additional franchise titles for both the Western and Eastern markets, while also exploring external studio investment opportunities.
Said Phil Mansell, CEO, Jagex:
“Jagex is moving forward with bold growth plans. Our ability to attract experienced industry talent such as John and Cassia, while also recognising the value that Neil has delivered for Jagex, is indicative of our acceleration as we strengthen the leadership of our publishing, product, and partnership teams.
“We are bolstering our portfolio with franchise extensions, including RuneScape and Old School on mobile, we have new franchise titles in production for both the Western and Eastern markets, and continue to explore external studio and product investment opportunities to complement Jagex’s long-held expertise in running living game worlds.”
John Burns, SVP, Publishing
John Burns has joined Jagex as SVP Publishing. With some 30 years’ experience in packaged and online game publishing, John most recently served as NCSOFT’s SVP Publishing, where he led the Seoul-headquartered online games company’s Western publishing operations. John has also held leadership positions at Trion Worlds, Electronic Arts and Activision.
John Burns, SVP, Publishing, said:
“Jagex is an industry leader in live games, recognised for the incredible rise of RuneScape, a passion for its players and its commitment to innovate,’’ commented Burns. “2017 has been an exciting year for the company with the announcement that the RuneScape franchise will come to mobile for gamers to adventure anywhere at any time and a focussed portfolio expansion through product investment to deliver titles that will engage and excite fans globally. I am looking forward to being part of the Jagex team and helping further build on the historical success and accelerate the company.’’
Neil McClarty, VP, Product Management
Neil McClarty becomes VP, Product Management, with responsibility for leading the strategic growth of Jagex’s portfolio of live games through both franchise extension and new product development.
During his decade-long experience at the studio, Neil was part of the team that led a renaissance for the iconic MMORPG series, which has seen multi-year membership growth and delivered record performance for Jagex. Neil has also led multiple divisions across the company, including business development, marketing and product management.
Neil McClarty, VP Product Management, said:
“This year, the RuneScape franchise hit its highest membership reach for five years and our evergreen performance enables us to build out our product roadmap across PC and soon on mobile. We have the best in the business at running games-as-a-service giving life to deep and engaging living game worlds, and we will capitalise on that expertise to take both the franchise and new titles to multiple formats and markets.”
Cassia Curran, Head of Business Development
Cassia Curran has joined Jagex as Head of Business Development after a five-year tenure with NetEase in Hangzhou where she was, most recently, International Business Development Manager. At NetEase, Cassia brought UK-developed mobile titles to the Chinese market, including 22cans’ The Trail.
As Head of Business Development, Cassia is leading Jagex’s outreach to external studios while seeking investment and partnership opportunities that would contribute to Jagex’s product pipeline and corporate portfolio.
Cassia Curran, Head of Business Development, said:
“With an enviable performance record in recent years driven by its success in Western territories, coupled with an open door to the Chinese market through its Shanghai-headquartered parent, Fu Kong Interactive, Jagex is perfectly placed to talk investment and partnership opportunities with studios.”
