Double Fusion Appoints CNet Vet Larson As VP Of Business Dev

In-game advertising firm Double Fusion announced the appointment of Joshua Larson, CNet's former vice president of Games, as its VP of Business Development. The company also brought in former Game Trust CFO/COO Glen Sussman as its CFO and promoted SVP of sales and marketing Julie Shumaker to general manager of its newly formed Core Games Group. Larson's duties at the company will include expanding the network of core games Double Fusion represents via partnerships with game publishers, developers and first party platforms in North America and Europe, including the firm's recently announced partnership with SCEA and SCEE for in-game ads for PlayStation 3 titles. Prior to Double Fusion, Larson served as vice president of CNET Networks' Games division, where he oversaw business strategy and product direction for consumer game site GameSpot. Brought in to replace former GameSpot editor-in-chief Greg Kasavin, Larson left the company in April 2008 following complaints of his alleged involvement in the high-profile departure of former GameSpot editorial director Jeff Gerstmann. Gerstmann left amid strong rumors that he had been terminated from his position after Eidos Interactive found issue with his review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. As Double Fusion's chief financial officer, Sussman will be responsible for the overall financial organization of the company, including reporting, accounting, budgeting, strategic planning, and capital structure. He will also oversees all HR, facilities and general administrative functions. Shumaker, who has been with the company since fall 2006, previously worked as Electronic Arts' national director of Videogame Advertising for five years. During her tenure, she contributed to product placement deals with companies including McDonalds and Intel. Said Double Fusion president and CEO Jonathan Epstein: "Julie, Josh and Glen all have unique and diverse backgrounds, but traits they all share are a love of games and a history of strong results and success in their prior roles."