Brief overview: Hawthorn Developer NEARstudios has announced the hiring of renowned gaming industry veteran Kim Swift as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Swift is best known for leaving development to Valve in 2007. Portal. After leaving Valve, she had several stints at various high-end companies, including Amazon game studios, EA Motivesshort-lived Google Stadia development team and Xbox Game Publisher.
NEARstudios co-founder and CEO Heather Serlan said in a statement announcing the news that her hiring is a “significant step forward” for the Maryland-based company. “Kim’s leadership and passion for empowering creative teams is deeply aligned with our mission. With her support, we are better positioned than ever to deliver on Hawthorn's promise and grow the studio in a way that honors the heart and ambition behind everything we do.”
The 20-year industry veteran said she wanted to join the studio after she “fell in love” with Hawthorn and learned about their vision for the studio, based on “creating immersive sandbox games with rich storytelling and a focus on community.”
“I look forward to helping the studio grow its operations so the team can focus on making Hawthorn an incredible, immersive and enchanting experience for our players.”
