Cryptic appoints John Needham as CEO

Cryptic has appointed John Needham, previously senior vice president of business development and operations for Sony Online Entertainment, as its CEO.

Needham served as SOE SVP for five years and has worked at the Sony family of companies since 1994, previously holding the role of director of corporate development at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"John Needham’s proven leadership in the MMO space makes him a dynamic fit for heading up Cryptic’s new corporate direction," said Cryptic’s president Michael Lewis.

"As a SVP of Sony Online Entertainment he has contributed greatly to the growth of the industry and we’re excited to combine his operational experience with our vision for the future of online games."

Needham added: "The Cryptic team has a great following among MMO players and their creative plans for the space are really pressing the genre forward. I look forward to working with the Cryptic team to lead the company into its next phase of growth."