Former Xbox Exec Shane Kim Named Interim CEO of GameStop

By Liz Lanier

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Former Xbox executive Shane Kim has been named the new interim CEO of GameStop while the retailer searches for a permanent replacement in the wake of
Michael Mauler’s resignation last month .

Former CEO Mauler resigned on May 11 for “personal reasons” after only three months in the position. A GameStop spokesperson informed

Variety

at the time that Mauler’s resignation was “not due to any disagreement with the company regarding its financial reporting, policies or practices, or any potential fraud relating thereto.”

Kim will be the company’s
 fourth CEO since the late J. Paul Raines left the position in November 2017, after overseeing the retailer for eight years. Kim was general manager of Microsoft Game Studios and corporate vice president for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business before leaving the company in 2010. Since 2011, Kim has been a member of GameStop’s board of directors.

In a
conference call on Thursday
, GameStop’s executive chairman Dan DeMatteo said the company looks forward to the “insights, energy, and intensity [Kim] will bring” to the role.

“We are fortunate to have Shane assume the role of interim chief executive officer and welcome his insight as a video game industry veteran,” DeMatteo added. “Shane has been an actively engaged member of GameStop’s board of directors since 2011 and will bring additional executive focus, energy, and passion to the organization during this time of transition.”

The
press release
that announced Kim’s hire also revealed the company’s Q1 results. The struggling retailer’s total global sales decreased 5.5% overall to $1.93 billion. This is despite the results of
a recent
PayPal poll
, in which 45% of U.S. respondents named GameStop as their favorite retailer for purchasing video games.