Observed Signal · Jul 28, 2026 · Hiring · Source: PocketGamer.biz · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Epic Games appoints Martin Keely to lead Store & Online Services
Epic Games has hired Martin Keely as vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services. Keely announced the move on LinkedIn, saying he is "thrilled and honoured" to join Epic and aims to help deliver new capabilities for players, creators and developers while shaping an open, sustainable gaming ecosystem. The appointment ends Keely's more than seven-year tenure at Blizzard Entertainment, where he most recently served as senior vice president of Battle.net and technology services. His prior roles include executive vice president of product and technology at The Walt Disney Company, head of operations for Major League Gaming, and general manager at Fullscreen Media.
Leadership hire at a major gaming platform (Epic Games) could influence store and developer-services strategy, but is a personnel change with limited immediate industry-wide AdTech impact.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Epic Games appointed Martin Keely as vice president and general manager of Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services.
- Martin Keely announced the move on LinkedIn.
- Keely left Blizzard Entertainment after more than seven years.
- Keely most recently served as senior vice president of Battle.net and technology services at Blizzard Entertainment.
- Keely previously held senior leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, Major League Gaming and Fullscreen Media.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Epic Games has appointed Martin Keely as vice president and general manager of Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services....”
“Prior to Blizzard, he served as executive vice president of product and technology at The Walt Disney Company, was head of operations for Ma...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Saber hires ex‑Epic exec Steve Allison as CBO
Saber Interactive has appointed Steve Allison, a former vice president at Epic Games, as its chief business officer. Allison led the formation and launch of the Epic Games Store and Epic's third‑party publishing business, growing the storefront to hundreds of millions of users and thousands of games. He brings more than 30 years of executive experience and says he has worked on over 140 game launches. At Saber he will oversee publishing, marketing and other revenue opportunities and will report directly to CEO Matthew Karch. Allison's prior senior roles include senior vice president of publishing at Telltale Games, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Midway Games, and leadership positions at Atari.
Hiring and promotions across major game companies
A jobs digest reports multiple hires and promotions across the mobile and broader games industry. EA promoted Cam Weber to president and chief studios officer and David Tinson to president and chief operating officer as EA completes a $55bn take-private by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s PIF. Nazara Technologies appointed Raymond A. Stauffer as CEO while founder Nitish Mittersain transitions to managing director after overseeing revenue growth and a $303m acquisition. Other moves include Michael Lieb named principal accounting officer at Unity, Martin Keely joining Epic Games as VP/GM of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services, Jon Middleton joining Xsolla as EVP of strategic business, and hires at Kabam, Scopely, Tactile Games and Moon Active.
Google Play to Allow Third-Party App Stores
Google and Epic Games have agreed to withdraw a legal motion, accelerating a change that will allow third-party app stores to be distributed natively via the Google Play Store starting next week. The decision replaces an earlier plan for a 'Registered App Stores' programme and is expected to speed the arrival of the Epic Games Store and other alternative stores (Samsung’s Galaxy Store, AltStore, Skich, and potentially an Xbox app store) on Play. Google said the move lets it focus on executing its 'global business model evolution' to increase app store choice, lower prices, and create more opportunities for developers and users. Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed the development on X and noted Epic already hosts third-party stores such as Itch and GOG Galaxy.
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