Kabam adds former GameStop veteran as its new acquisition chief

Free-to-play game publisher Kabam has hired former GameStop executive Chris Petrovic to run mergers and acquisitions.

Kabam has been busy buying companies every few months, including one announced yesterday: Phoenix Age, maker of role-playing games such as Castle Age.

As head of corporate development, Petrovic will oversee M&A, Kabam’s strategy for accelerating growth, and relations with Hollywood studios such as Universal and Warner Bros. Kabam’s Hollywood-based games include titles based on Fast & Furious and The Hobbit films.

Petrovic will report to Kabam’s chief operating officer, Kent Wakeford.

“Chris is the perfect choice to help take Kabam through its next growth stage,” Wakeford said in a statement. “His deep knowledge of the free-to-play games space, coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit, will be a great addition to our leadership team.”

Before Kabam, Petrovic was the general manager of GameStop Digital Ventures. He led the big game retail chain’s strategy for digital games. He was also vice president of digital media at Playboy Enterprises and vice president of business development at American Greetings Interactive.

“I’m a big believer in the core gamer, and I have watched Kabam grow into the market leader it is today by creating fantastic games for that passionate audience,” Petrovic said in a statement. “I can’t wait to leverage my experience with the world-class team at Kabam to build on that great foundation.”

Kabam generated $360 million in revenues in 2014, and it projects revenues of $550 million to $650 million this year.