Star Wars Director's Game Studio Hires Bulletstorm Producer

Bad Robot Games, the gaming division of JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath's Bad Robot film and TV company, has hired Tanya Watson to become its COO and President.

Watson was part of the original creative team on Fortnite at Epic Games before leaving the create Squanch Games with Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland. At Bad Robot, Watson will help oversee Bad Robot's game development and publishing projects.

"Bad Robot Games will build on Bad Robot's DNA of storytelling and worldbuilding and apply the special lens of what makes games and interactivity distinct," Watson said. "Our publishing organization is rethinking, from the ground up, how to service creators at a time where having a traditional publisher is no longer a prerequisite for success. We are excited to build this alongside game teams to help them bring their vision to life."

Bad Robot Games' CEO is Anna Sweet, the former Valve and Oculus developer.

"Watson will steer Bad Robot Games' publishing operations as the company launches rich immersive worlds, across a wide range of game genres and platforms, that are extensible to multiple mediums. Watson and team will leverage Bad Robot’s games industry veterans, film and TV colleagues, and its extended network of talent to create truly innovative worlds and stories," Bad Robot said.

In addition to working on Fortnite at Epic Games, Watson had a hand in franchises like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. Watson was the producer on Bulletstorm.

The first internal game from Bad Robot Games will be a new AAA IP, but no other details are available about it yet. It will, however, be created in partnership with Bad Robot's movie, TV, and animation studios. The company recently raised $40 million to fuel its growth.

In addition Sweet and Booth, Bad Robot Games recently hired World of Warcraft veteran Joe Rumsey to be its technical director and Oneil Howell (Just Case) as its senior level designer. Bad Robot Games has a number of open positions across disciplines on its careers page.