Batman: Arkham Knight publisher gets new big boss

Someone new is running the publisher responsible for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Batman, and Mortal Kombat.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced an executive shakeup today as David Haddad takes over as the company’s new executive vice president and general manager. Haddad will oversee day-to-day operations for the WB’s game division. He will report directly to DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson and Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution president Ron Sanders.

“WBIE has grown into a top games publisher by creating acclaimed hit franchises, and we are confident David is the leader to continue our path to success,” said Nelson.

“As we continue to distribute high-quality games across all platforms, we believe having David’s leadership will be beneficial as we look to further leverage our market-leading global infrastructure to expand our games business worldwide,” said Sanders. “David’s background and management style will aid us in building upon our successes and broaden our growth in digital and mobile arenas.”

This is a bump up for Haddad, who served as WBIE’s executive vice president of publishing operations. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer of Activision’s Guitar Hero business. He also previously worked in executive roles at Sierra Online, Mattel, and The Walt Disney Company.

“I am looking forward to working more with the talented WBIE team to stay on the trajectory of success and grow the company as the industry evolves,” said Haddad. “We will continue our strategic focus on producing games based on our key franchises with our outstanding development studios, as well as extend our mobile and live-games capabilities.”