Joining as Staff Writer is games “industry legend” Jon Blyth (pictured), whose CV includes The Guardian, PC Zone, Charlie Brooker’s production company Zeppotron and books TV Go Home and The Law Of The Playground, both of which have been made into TV series. The winner of multiple Games Media Awards, Jon returns to Future to bring his award-winning writing and video skills to OXM’s "unique combination" of print, online and video content.
Also appointed as Staff Writer is Matt Lees. He joins OXM from Frank PR, where he worked on numerous Activision titles including coordinating last year’s European launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops.
The new Online Editor is Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, coming to OXM from Kikizo where he was Network Editor across seven games websites. He previously worked at AOL where he launched and maintained Flytrap Games.
Mike Channell is promoted from Reviews Editor to Deputy Editor. Since joining Xbox 360: The Official Magazine in 2008 from PC Format, Mike has worked tirelessly to deliver widely-respected editorial coverage, and has become a familiar face as regular host of the OXM Report on Xbox Live. He won a Games Media Award for Rising Star in 2009.
“I’m delighted to be leading such a supremely talented team,” said Editor Jon Hicks. “Their proven ability in all forms of editorial will be a tremendous asset in our plans to further develop OXM this year. The ongoing success of both the magazine and the Xbox 360 mean we’ve got a huge and loyal audience, and we’ll be delivering new and exciting coverage to them in print and beyond.”
Simon Maxwell, Group Publisher for Future’s Entertainment portfolio, added: “These appointments are fantastic news for the readers of the UK’s biggest games magazine. OXM has had a very strong start to 2011, and the combined expertise and experience of the new team will ensure that it continues to go from strength to strength across all platforms.”
Launched in 2001, Xbox 360: The Official Magazine claims to be the UK’s biggest-selling games magazine and the only games media brand available in print, online and on Xbox Live.
