New global editorial games manager

Apple has hired a long-time editor from IGN to advance its own gaming efforts on the iTunes App Store. The Cupertino-based company has hired IGN's "Editor-at-Large" Matt Casamassina as its new global editorial games manager. Casamassina, who worked for IGN for more than 13 years and covered Nintendo for most of his tenure with the enthusiast gaming site, which is owned by News Corp.

Casamassina announced his departure from IGN and his new role at Apple on his blog last Thursday, saying that Apple was one of the few companies that could take him away from his passion about Nintendo.

"Anybody who has read my work through the years will know that I’ve long been a huge Nintendo fan, but if there is one company that could entice me away from covering Mario and Zelda it’s the one owned by Steve Jobs," he wrote.

Casamassina started in 1997 as editor of the N64.com website, which was acquired by IGN and soon became the Nintendo 64 section, where he wrote a plethora of reviews and previews.

In his role at Apple, the popular gaming editor said that he will be helping users discover games as well as organize Apple's gaming initiative. Casamassina is expected to start in late May.

"I will be leading the charge for games on the App Store, so whether you browse through iTunes, iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, the games content you see will be handpicked and organized by me and my team," he wrote on his blog. "I couldn’t be happier."

Apple's recent push in handheld gaming -- with an increasing number of games, a larger role in its marketing efforts, and high sales -- has been felt by its competitors in the industry, including Ninendo, which has lately tried to dismiss Apple as a threat but has been losing revenue as the iPod touch and iPhone have led many to switch away from the DS. Nintendo already has begun touting its forthcoming Nintendo 3DS as its iPod touch-rival, calling it the "most important handheld since 2004."

by MacNN Staff