UK marketing chief leaves video games publisher THQ

US video games publisher THQ International has lost its top UK marketer, Chris Lewis. He will leave his position as head of marketing for the UK at the end of this month, in order to go travelling.

Senior marketing manager Richard Williams will be promoted to replace Lewis. No replacement for Williams is being sought. In addition, head of global brand management Michael Patterson has been made a director, still with responsibility for branding.

THQ’s business will be boosted later this year with the launch of Nokia’s N-Gage mobile gaming platform. THQ will provide games, alongside fellow software publishers Activision, Eidos, Sega and Taito. Nokia will also act as a game publisher and will create branded N-Gage games (MW April 3).

In May, THQ signed up as a sponsor of Sky’s World Wrestling Entertainment, in a deal worth more than &£1m. The WWE Wrestling franchise is one of THQ’s biggest product lines, with titles which include WWE Smackdown and WWE Crush Hour. THQ also sponsors Sky One’s Stargate, through its Red Faction 2 game. THQ is the first video games publisher to sponsor Nickelodeon programming in the UK.

THQ announced its first-quarter results at the end of July. Revenue increased to $98.1m (&£61.2m), up from $85.8m (&£53.5m) in the same period last year.