Former Xbox Live exec moves to PopCap

PopCap Games has hired Greg Canessa, formerly general manager of Xbox Live Arcade, to take on the newly-created role of vice president of videogame platforms.

He will oversee the expansion of PopCap's casual games portfolio to "new and existing videogame platforms", according to a company statement, "including consoles, handheld devices and related online gaming services".

Canessa spent seven years helping to manage Microsoft's online gaming strategy, and helped to broker the deal which saw six PopCap games appearing on XBLA within the last two years.

"From Xbox 360 to handheld videogame devices and more, PopCapâs lineup of casual games are really well suited for a wide range of platforms," said Canessa.

"The fact that PopCap is both a recognised leader in its space and a pioneering company with a start-up mentality is very appealing to me, and Iâm really looking forward to helping the company bring their award-winning suite of games to these platforms."

PopCap's Dennis Ryan commented, "The entrepreneurial nature of Gregâs work at Microsoft, combined with his more than 15 years of industry experience, will be instrumental to our ongoing platform expansion strategy."