Popcorn Arcade Label Adds Climax/Eurocom Vet As COO

UK developer and publisher Data Design Interactive has announced it has hired former Climax Entertainment and Eurocom designer Matthew Humphries as Chief Operations Officer, specifically to work with DDI's Popcorn Arcade studio label. Humphries began with Climax as a technical designer on Warhammer Online before joining Eurocom Entertainment, where he worked on several games up until his most recent role as lead Designer on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. DDI announced the formation of Popcorn Arcade earlier this year, aiming to focus on budget titles for the Nintendo Wii with a push for the casual gaming audience. At the time the label was initially announced, the company said 14 Popcorn Arcade titles for the Wii have already gone gold, and another 3 have been sent to Nintendo for approval. While some of these titles remain unknown, the company has announced several Wii titles recently, including a port of Quotix's PC action RPG Call For Heroes: Pompolic Wars, as well as 3D platformer Ninjabread Man, one of nine titles resulting from a recent publishing and distribution agreement with U.S. developer Conspiracy. DDI managing director Stewart Green said: "Our aim is to hand pick successful individuals who stand out above the crowd. Matthew has rapidly been promoted in all his positions due to his excellent attitude and ability and at Data Design he will be challenged to keep up with the UK’s most productive developer and publisher."