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Sega of America and Atlus USA has announced a new COO and President, Ian Curran, effective as of today. Curran, reporting to Sega West CEO Tatsuyuki Miyazaki, will preside over Sega’s operations in the States, while also working with employees in the UK and EMEA regions – additionally he will sit on the Atlus USA board of directors.
In a statement released by Sega, Curran said: “My thanks and gratitude to Mr. Miyazaki and the entire company leadership for this opportunity to lead our operations and executions in the Americas and EMEA. I appreciate all of the incredible efforts Mr. Hiraoka has made to lay the groundwork for our operations in the Americas.
“Coming off the success of Persona 5, Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania Plus, and the Yakuza series, and with so much more on the horizon, including Valkyria Chronicles 4,” he continued, “It is an incredible time to join the team. As part of the Sega family, we are inheritors of an expansive body of work and opportunity which I plan to help reach its full potential.”
Miyazaki was also quoted as saying: “It is with great excitement we welcome Ian to the Sega family in this new COO role and as President of Sega of America, roles necessary for our burgeoning success in the Americas. In support of Ian’s vision, senior management and I will work with him to ensure he has the support he needs to continue growing our business.”
Naoto Hiraoka, CEO and President of Atlus USA and Senior Vice President at Sega of America, added: “We’ve been looking for someone to fill this role for some time, so we couldn’t be more pleased to have Ian join our operations as COO and President of Sega of America. His many years of experience in video game publishing, leading, developing and transforming organizations, is a perfect fit for our long-term aspirations and will be invaluable as we look to expand our business.”
Curran’s past experience takes in 25+ years of gaming and the games industry, with the former sales director at Time Warner Interactive and General Manager of Acclaim UK making his way to the States via THQ in 2009. From his base in California, Curran moved from the company after it closed in 2013 to head up all management functions for Gioteck, an electronics accessories company known for producing headsets, controllers, cables, sticker/skins and more.
He previously worked alongside Sega while at THQ when a few projects – like Gunstar Super Heroes – were co-published.
