Turbine Brings On Two New Executives
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TWO NEW EXECUTIVES ONLINE AT TURBINE
Vijay Lakshman Takes the Helm of Product Development in Mass., Jeffrey Steefel Oversees the Future of Online Programming
WESTWOOD, Mass. June 15, 2004 Turbine Entertainment Software Corp., a premier provider of online subscription entertainment, today announced that Vijay Lakshman and Jeffrey Steefel have joined the company's all-star line-up as Vice President of Production at Turbine's east coast studio and Executive Director of Online Programming, respectively. With more than 15 years of video game development, production and management experience, Mr. Lakshman oversees the production, operation and management of Turbine's Massachusetts studio's marquee lineup, including the hotly anticipated The Lord of the Rings™ and Dungeons & Dragons® titles. Similarly, Mr. Steefel will leverage more than a decade of gaming, production, media programming and customer service in his new position as the leader of Turbine's online programming.
(In the past year, Turbine's goal as been to add talented and experienced staff to round out the team and help position us for new opportunities,) said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine Entertainment Software. (We are fortunate to have been able to attract such talented and respected professionals like Vijay and Jeffrey to our team. Their experience with triple-A titles and online franchises will be a great resource in Turbine's continued growth.)
Prior to joining Turbine, Mr. Lakshman was vice president of production/internal development for Vivendi Universal Games (VUG). In that role, he had responsibility for the development and release of more than 40 SKUs in a dozen franchises including The Lord of the Rings, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Mr. Lakshman was responsible for securing top tier development talent in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific Rim and delivering AAA titles for global release.
Before that, Mr. Lakshman held management positions with Bootprint Entertainment (GT Interactive), FASA Interactive Technologies, LookingGlass Technologies and Bethesda Softworks. Mr. Lakshman attended George Washington University, where he earned his B.B.A in Business and Information Technology.
Prior to joining Turbine, Mr. Steefel was the vice president of Programming & Member Services for There, Inc. In this role, he helped to create the first successful online 3D virtual environment tailored for Mainstream Consumers by supervising the creation and operation of customer service, community development, and in-world programming teams.
Before There, Inc., Mr. Steefel was the vice president of Programming & Production for Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). He headed digital studios in Los Angeles and New York, supervising a production, programming and development staff of 120 personnel for SOE's premier game site, The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Prior to SOE, Mr. Steefel was vice president of production for 7th Level, where he served as designer and Executive Producer for over a dozen award-winning games with partners like Microsoft, Disney, Monty Python and Bandai.
About Turbine Entertainment Software
Headquartered in Westwood, Mass., Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. is a premier provider of online subscription entertainment. Formed in 1994 and employing more than 150 staff on two coasts, the company is the largest online game studio in North America. Turbine's proprietary technology, the TE Turbine Engine®, generates some of the most sophisticated 3D graphics in persistent world games, producing such memorable projects as Asheron's Call®, Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty® and Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings®. Turbine is currently developing The Lord of the Rings™: Middle-Earth™ Online and Dungeons & Dragons® Online. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.turbinegames.com.
