I am currently CEO of NEON, the developer/publisher of SHRAPNEL, the first AAA web3 shooter.
Prior to NEON, I led a talented and passionate interactive team at HBO’s Digital Products group that redefined the modern entertainment experience. We collaborated with award winning creators to explore new avenues of interactive media, through multiple platforms, devices, and paradigms –ranging from the evolutionary to the experimental.
Prior to HBO I was Partner Group Program Manager of xCloud at Microsoft, working to revolutionize the way developers publish and operate in the cloud. As GPM my responsibilities included analyzing target market segments and managing the overall go-to-market plan, including revenue forecasts, adoption goals, packaging, pricing/licensing, and partner/ecosystem strategies. I identified, developed, and led acquisition of Playfab to launch our strategy.
Before Microsoft I was CEO of Meteor Entertainment. Meteor was a global game publisher backed by Benchmark (Snapchat) and Firstmark (Uber) Capital. I was recruited by the VC’s to acquire the developer of HAWKEN and build a publishing team that grew to 100 with offices in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Budapest.
Running a high-profile game company like Meteor required highly dynamic leadership, a willingness to take on the unending challenges of a startup, communicating with global press and partners, managing an exceptionally sophisticated board, and an authentic passion for the product. I raised $28.5M in A and B Series financing and launched HAWKEN globally to awards and acclaim in 2012.
Before Meteor I was the Founder and CEO of Zombie Studios, an independent game developer/publisher that operated for 23 years. I produced and launched over 31 products, on every platform from SEGA Genesis to the iPhone. Our clients included virtually every major publisher - Microsoft, Disney, Activision, Sony – as well as major movie studios and the United States Army.
Zombie was the crucible of my product management education. It required first and foremost a results-oriented mindset. Failure to deliver meant failing as a company. I learned that products require analyzing target market segments first and designing forward-thinking positioning for each segment before defining content. I learned to execute and deliver multiple products in asynchronous development while running a P&L that never robbed Peter to pay Paul. I supported marketing to drive awareness and monitored the results of product launches, evangelism activities and marketing campaigns to reach target audiences cost effectively. And I managed customer support and community feedback loops to consolidate feature requests and build franchises.
I’m very proud of the company and fact that was the longest operating independent studio in Seattle. But I am more proud of all the careers Zombie launched – some of them now industry leading executives at Amazon, Xbox, Facebook, and Google. I have special affinity for the tech community in Seattle and after 25 years here, extensive contacts and deep roots.
Prior to Zombie I had a R&D career that spanned three laboratories: Stanford Research Institute’s Sarnoff Laboratory in Princeton; the University of Texas Institute for Advanced Technology; and General Dynamics' Combined Arms Systems Engineering Laboratory. Siri was invented at Sarnoff and while I was there I was part of a team that developed a virtual reality game console for Hasbro.
I have served on a number of technical advisory boards and government committees over the years. I’m currently is a member of The University of Texas Games Advisory Panel. Previously I advised the Game Developers Conference, the National Science Foundation and SGI. I was Co-Chair, with NASA and the Stanford Research Institute, of a conference on next-generation virtual reality research that delivered its results to the then Senator Al Gore. Most recently I became a member of the Hollywood Producers Guild.
I received my BS at the University of Texas, where I also received my commission in the US Army. I served for 8 years and retired with the rank of Major and am the recipient of the Army's Meritorious Service Medal.
I enjoy writing in my spare time. I’ve sold two unproduced screenplays and published 5 graphic novels, one which – The Silence of Our Friends – made the New York Times bestsellers. Most recently, I’ve written my first novel. KILLIONAIRES is a humorous satire of the game industry.
Seattle / WA / USA
mvlong@gmail.com