New Games, Virtual Divisions at Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group

NEW YORK, June 18: Nickelodeon
Kids and Family Group has formed a new division for games and another for
virtual worlds, naming Dave Williams and Kyra Reppen to lead them,
respectively.

Williams will serve as the
senior VP and general manager of Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group. The
new division will encompass all paid and subscription gaming initiatives across
relevant platforms including online and CD-ROM and handheld and console games,
along with the company's dedicated casual-games sites, Shockwave and
AddictingGames. The group will focus on the creation of family-friendly games
around existing and new properties.

Williams, based in San
Francisco, will expand the company's subscription game services, licensing and
self-publishing businesses, and will work with Nickelodeon’s
consumer-productions division to increase the company’s retail games business
around franchises such as SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly. Williams previously served as the senior VP for Shockwave and
AddictingGames, and will continue to manage these sites, with plans to add more
community features and new offerings to each.

Meanwhile, Reppen will serve
as the senior VP and general manager for the Virtual Worlds Group, which will
manage all virtual-world initiatives for kids, tweens, teens and families,
including Neopets Nicktropolis and new virtual-world destinations. The group
will focus on the innovation of the company's existing worlds with projects
like World of Neopia (working title) and of the expansion of Nicktropolis. It
will also develop original properties such as Monkey World.

Based in Los Angeles,
Reppen will spearhead the strategy, creative development and management of new
and existing virtual worlds and casual massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs)
for the company. These will be based on both original and existing concepts.
Reppen has spent the past two years as the senior VP and general manager of
Neopets, and will continue her responsibilities in this arena, as well as
heading up the expansion of Nicktropolis.

Steve Youngwood, the
company’s executive VP of digital media, to whom both Williams and Reppen will
report, commented: "With these two dedicated teams, our new gaming and
virtual-world divisions will further enable us to create even more relevant
content and foster innovation in the virtual world and gaming spaces. Dave and
Kyra have built great momentum in their respective areas, and will provide more
engaging experiences for our audiences in their expanded leadership
roles."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski