According to a recent report by Polygon, Laura Fryer, the former chief of WB Games Seattle and executive producer at Microsoft Games Studios will now be the general manager of Epic Games’ Seattle studio.
Fryer, who’s history includes the conception of Microsoft’s Zone.com and executive producer of Gears of War and Gears of War 2 while employed at Microsoft Games Studios. Most recently Fryer was the general manager of WB Games Seattle where she oversaw work on Guardians of Middle Earth and Gotham City Impostors.
“She couldn’t come to us, so we went to her — between Laura and the great coffee, Seattle was clearly the logical location for our newest studio,” Epic Games president Michael Capps said.
In 2009 Fryer was named general manager of WB Games Seattle, including Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software. She was one of the first members of Microsoft Game Studios and was the director of the Xbox Advanced Technology Group as well as a founding member of the original Xbox project.
“Laura Fryer is one of the brightest leaders of the game industry today, and we’re thrilled to have her guide our new Seattle studio,” Capps said. “Laura was a key member of the ‘Gears of War’ team, and we’ve long hoped to work with her again.”
Fryer is the latest member to join the studio, but Epic continues to recruit new talent. According to their careers page they are looking for programmers and “senior-level talent” that specialize in online game services and infrastructure supporting them.
Fryer’s departure from WB Games Seattle follows a series of cuts, most recently this summer. A representative told Gamespot that the cuts were due to “shifting business imperatives.”
(Via Polygon)