Tony Reed leaves GDAA to found Epic Games Australia and New Zealand

Tony Reed has stepped down as the CEO of the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA), to help establish an office for Epic Games in Australia and New Zealand.

The announcement was made at the close of the Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) conference today. Reed has been in charge of the GDAA - and by extension GCAP - since 2009.

"Every year at GCAP I take a moment to reflect... This year takes me all the way back to 2009, before I took over the GDAA and I took over GCAP. I said at the time - and I believed this at the time - that I would stay for a maximum of ten years.

"I believed strongly at the time that every association, every industry body, should have a change of ownership - fresh eyes, and fresh ideas, and new approaches. And the thing is, I was right. So a few weeks ago, I resigned as the chief executive of the GDAA, and this will be my last GCAP as your host."

Reed said that "a whole new, incredible strategic plan" has already been laid out for the GDAA, and that will be carried out under new leadership. Who that proves to be is still undecided, but Melissa Lancuba, the GDAA's current communications and strategy officer, will step in as the interim CEO.

"I am proud of the work I have done," Reed continued. "But most of all, I am proud of you, because you came through the worst of times, and you built an industry that the world takes notice of.

"You have come together and formed a community that the world respects. That is a hell of an achievement and I'm extraordinarily proud of you for doing that."

Reed said that his main desire in choosing what to do next was "to help," and his efforts will soon be applied in establishing a new outpost for Epic Games in Australia and New Zealand.

The details of the function that office will serve for Epic were not disclosed, but Reed assured the audience that "there's going to be a lot of news" on the company's plans for the region in the near future.