Aristocrat Gaming has appointed veteran game designer Joe Kaminkow to the newly created role of chief innovation officer.
The appointment extends Kaminkow’s long association with Aristocrat Gaming, dating back to his initial appointment as senior vice president of game development in 2013.
In his new role, Kaminkow will help drive innovation across Aristocrat, including in new gaming products and mobile game genres.
He will report into chief product officer Matt Primmer, while working with teams across Aristocrat Gaming, Pixel United and Anaxi, Aristocrat’s newly rebranded iGaming arm.
“We are delighted that someone of Joe’s caliber will be working full-time across the company to champion innovation, helping us to further penetrate growth opportunities and develop even more outstanding talent within our business,” said Aristocrat Gaming CEO Hector Fernandez. “As a valued colleague and contributor to our success for almost a decade, Joe’s brilliance and creativity is well-known to us at Aristocrat Gaming and across the industry.”
Kaminkow previously served as chief creative officer at Zynga, where he led development of social games and created several successful titles. He holds over 130 patents and has either created or contributed game design intellectual property to more than 1,500 games across multiple game formats and markets.
“I am thrilled to expand my commitment to Aristocrat in a dedicated, full-time role, enabling me to devote my creative energies to all areas of the group’s ongoing growth and success,” said Kaminkow. “I have been so impressed with the talent and drive of our employees over the past nine years and am excited to help Aristocrat take its next steps forward.”
Shares in Aristocrat Gaming parent Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX:ALL) closed at AUD$34.02 per share in Sydney Thursday.