Bandai Namco snaps up former Fox Engine overseer Julien Merceron

Quick bit of hiring news out of Japan today, as Bandai Namco announced that game industry tech veteran Julien Merceron is coming aboard as Bandai Namco Studios' new worldwide technology director.

Merceron got his start in the industry coding games for the Atari Jaguar, and his career spans technical positions at Ubisoft, Eidos and Square Enix. Notably, his most recent position was at Konami, where he oversaw development and implementation of the Fox Engine used in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Earlier this year reports began circulating that Merceron was leaving Konami, shortly before Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima reportedly made his own exit.

While Kojima went on to cut a deal with PlayStation and start his own studio, Merceron seems to be taking up his old role in a fresh position at Bandai Namco Studios, known for game franchises like Tekken, the Tales series and Pac-Man.