Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company announced today that Bob Picunko has been named Director, Business Development and Production. Reporting to Michael Ryder, VP of Worldwide Production for Buena Vista Games, Picunko will be responsible for strengthening relationships with video game developers and content creators. He will focus on assessing new game concepts for the company and drive the process of identifying, developing and growing new strategic business relationships with independent developers. Prior to this role, Picunko spent more than three years as Director of Marketing at the company.
"We are pleased to announce the creation of this new and important role at BVG," said Graham Hopper, senior vice president and general manager, Buena Vista Games, Inc. "Bob's extensive knowledge of the industry and experience in developing game franchises over the years are an asset to the future growth and success of the BVG product portfolio."
"We want to make BVG a creative force in the game industry by establishing close relationships with the remarkable talent within the development community," said Picunko.
Bob Picunko brings more than 14 years of video game industry experience and 18 years of marketing experience to his new role with Buena Vista Games. To date, Picunko has worked with a number of past and current high profile Disney properties, including Kingdom Hearts, TRON 2.0: Killer App, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Additionally, tenures with Interplay Entertainment Corp., Griffin-Bacal/DDB for Hasbro Interactive and Acclaim Entertainment have seen Picunko responsible for more than 100 licensed and original properties, including Mortal Kombat, Turok, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Fallout Tactics, ESPN and all sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR), Batman, Spiderman, Monopoly, Tonka, WWF Warzone, Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Simpsons.