Google has hired game industry veteran Mark DeLoura as its Developer Advocate for games, as part of the company’s expansion into gaming on the fast-growing Android, Chrome, Chrome OS platforms, and its open source 3D and O3D APIs.
DeLoura is a major figure in the games industry, and has been consulting for a many companies, apart from being on the board of International Game Developers Association and OneBigGame charity. DeLoura has also previously been associated with Ubisoft, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Nintendo of America, and GreenScreen Interactive.
DeLoura has this to say about his new job: “I personally feel that Google hiring someone specifically to focus on games is a signal from the company that they recognize the growing importance of games as a medium. Now how do we make it easier for developers to express themselves and share the experiences they create? The position of Developer Advocate for games at Google is ‘both inward- and outward-facing.’”
He added, “I’m excited to be joining Google since I am very philosophically aligned with them — my work has always been focused around making game development simpler and more accessible, and Google is incredibly developer friendly, committed to open source, and constantly striving to lower barriers to entry for developers. They seek to build platforms by working interactively with their partners, providing a big tent so everyone can get involved.”