VR studio welcomes renown games developer to its board

Yorkshire-based VR studio XR Games has appointed industry renown professional, Jane Whittaker to join its board and executive team.

Whittaker has led teams across both product and corporate business development and held senior management and board roles at Electronic Arts for 14 years and Atari for 11 years.

Whittaker’s portfolio includes mega-hits as GoldenEye 007, Alien vs. Predator, The Sims and major contributions to Microsoft Flight Simulator.

At XR Games, Whittaker’s title will be Chief Hopping Officer. The title was coined initially by Microsoft founder Bill Gates to spotlight Whittaker’s wide-ranging expertise and ability to simultaneously hop between roles in a corporate environment, operating creatively, technically and leading business development.

XR Games’ chief executive officer, Bobby Thandi, said: “Jane brings a wealth of experience that’s unparalleled in the games sector, and invaluable as we launch into the emerging VR market. Jane delivers concept, code, and corporate vision to our board, and I’m super excited that Jane has chosen to join XR Games.”

Whittaker has a long history in VR, including managing the VR team at Atari, developing titles such as the VR version of Alien VS Predator for the Atari Jaguar and is regarded as a lead visionary in 3D technology.

Whittaker added: “I firmly believe as the technology matures, virtual reality is going to be a tidal wave that sweeps through the entertainment industry. XR Games is positioning itself to ride the crest of that wave with incredibly innovative products and approaches set to revolutionise VR. It’s an exciting time to be a member of the XR team.”