Red 5 Adds Oracle Vet As Engineering VP

MMO developer Red 5 Studios has announced that former Oracle exec Michael Weingartner has joined the company as vice president of engineering, where he will use his experience with server systems in the development of the company's unannounced MMO. Red 5 was founded in 2005 in Southern California by former World of Warcraft team leader Mark Kern and former art director William Petras. The company is backed by an $18.5 million investment from Benchmark Capital and Sierra ventures. In addition, the firm has signed a deal with Korean-headquartered publisher Webzen for the exclusive worldwide rights to publish and distribute the company's first title. Said Weingartner, "There are intriguing parallels between building an innovative MMO server system and the work I was able to accomplish at Oracle. I've been influenced by a number of hit games, including the Tribes series, StarCraft, and Dark Age of Camelot. Combining my past technological experience with my passion for gaming is something I've wanted to do for years, and at Red 5, I have the opportunity."