Gamestop appoints Shane Kim to board
Microsoft veteran joins US retailer after a year of consultancy work
Gamestop, the US specialist retailer, has announced that Shane Kim has been appointed to the company's board of directors.
The executive retired from Microsoft, where he had spent the majority of his career, at the end of 2009. Since then he has consulted for a number of technology companies, but the appointment to GameStop's board is something of a coup for the chain.
"We are very excited to have Shane join our Board," said GameStop executive chairman Dan DeMatteo. "His broad video game knowledge and business experience will bring valuable insight in supporting the advancement of GameStop's digital strategy."
Kim had spent fifteen years at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business unit prior to his retirement, working with Microsoft Game Studios on several key projects including the Halo series and Xbox LIVE.
GameStop has invested significantly in trying to maintain its dominance in the US traditional retail market, including second hand exchange programs and reward schemes. The company has also attempted to evolve itself beyond retail, acquiring popular gaming portal Kongregate last year.
Despite recording record sales figures during 2010's holiday period, thanks partly to better than expected sales of Kinect, the company's share price dropped after investors called the numbers "disappointing."