Bad Robot Enlists Epic Games Vet Tanya Watson As Games COO & President

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read

Bad Robot Games, the video game division of JJ Abrams’ production banner, has tapped games industry vet Tanya Watson as COO and President.

Watson is a former Epic Games executive, who served on the original creative team behind Fortnite, and Squanch Games co-founder and CEO. She will help lead the company’s mission to reinvent how stories are played. She will lead Bad Robots’ team with CEO Anna Sweet.

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“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,” said Watson. “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.”

In her new position Watson will lead Bad Robot Games’ publishing operations as the company launches immersive worlds, across a wide range of game genres and platforms, that are extensible to multiple mediums. She and her team seek to leverage Bad Robot’s games industry veterans, film and TV colleagues, and its extended network of talent to create innovative worlds and stories.

Watson comes to Bad Robot with experience leading large and small teams across numerous gaming platforms. She formerly co-founded Squanch Games with Ricky and Morty co-creator, Justin Roiland. Prior to that she was an Executive Producer at Fortnite developer Epic Games, and worked on Gears of War and Unreal Tournament.

The gaming exec’s hiring Bad Robot’s further expansion into game publishing, building on its already established game development studio.

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