The Entertainment Software Association has tapped Stanley Pierre-Louis as its new president CEO. He is transitioning to the position after he assumed the role of acting president and CEO since October 2018. He has been with the ESA since 2015.
Pierre-Louis took the role as the video game industry hit unprecedented highs. According to the ESA, more than 164 million adults currently play video games. The industry earned $35 billion in revenue in 2018, more than previous years, and is as a whole is worth $43.4 billion. He also took on the role during a period when the company has faced plenty of trouble, however.
The ESA is in the midst of dealing with a proposed bill that seeks to put an end to in-game microtransactions. While the organization didn’t denounce the bill outright, it has previously stated it doesn’t consider loot boxes to be gambling, and the ESA said it is willing to work with the federal government to address the issue. It’s also had to deal with the World Health Organization classifying gaming addiction as a mental disorder, which caused plenty of controversy, as well the ongoing issue of video game violence and its impact.
A recent report by Variety detailed the many troubles the ESA has faced in the past years, culminating in former president and CEO Michael Gallagher’s exit. With morale low within the company, and the general public’s perception lowering, the new head certainly has his work cut out for him.
E3, which is organized by the ESA, starts in about a month, though its staying power has been put into question in recent years. Though most of the big-name publishers are still planning on having a showing at the convention, other high-profile names have opted to skip the show, most notably Sony. Sony later expanded upon its decision, further questioning its relevance. Of course, we’ll have to wait for the show to open to get an idea of what this new E3, and possibly the future of the ESA, will look like.
[Source: The ESA]
