Tantalus eyes expansion with new hires

Tantalus, the Melbourne-based developer which specialises in Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable titles, has announced two new exec hires and a key promotion with a view to expanding its business reach.

Joss Ellis, formerly director of European development at EA and VP of international development at Virgin Interactive, has joined Tantalus as director of development, and will report to newly-promoted David Giles - now COO of the company.

Additionally Mat Bettinson, who has previously worked in journalism, marketing and PR in the UK, has been appointed business development manager as the company looks to establish a new studio later this year.

"We're pretty ambitious, and recognise that we need strong upper management to achieve our growth objectives," said Tom Crago, CEO of Tantalus. "Joss is obviously a terrific hire for us, while David's promotion is well deserved. Mat's role too is crucial, and will ensure we're completely across our market, and able to capitalise on the opportunities that fit best with our strategy."

Tantalus titles sold over 2 million units in the past year, with Sierra set to publish The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon for the DS later this year, and several unannounced games across the Wii, DS, PSP and PC platforms currently in development.