Skybound taps former Activision Blizzard exec to lead marketing efforts

Skybound is on an executive recruitment drive and has brought in former Activision Blizzard VP of marketing Kaleb Ruel to lead its marketing efforts.

Ruel will serve as VP of marketing within Skybound's in-house game studio. He most recently worked on the record-breaking launch of Diablo IV during his time at Activision Blizzard.

Skybound has made seven major executive hires in 2024, bringing in a number of game industry veterans including Activision Blizzard's former VP of product Chris Paulson and EA's former head of corporate Jeff Chaiken.

Paulson worked with Ruel at Activision Blizzard and believes he'll be able to accelerate Skybound's publishing capabilities.

"I loved working with Kaleb previously, and I'm thrilled to have him join me at Skybound. Kaleb's experience building great marketing teams in gaming, music streaming, and consumer retail will help accelerate Skybound’s publishing capabilities," said Paulson.

"We share a vision that successful games are defined by their community of players and great marketing is about building that community. Kaleb is assembling a world-class marketing team to deliver that vision for Skybound Games."

Skybound's Invincible endeavor

Skybound is currently attempting to kickstart development on a triple-A title based on the Invincible franchise. The studio is working on the project in-house under the supervision of Invincible creator Roberk Kirkman.

The studio has raised $18 million from "everyday investors and fans" to fund the project, and recently added another $688,000 to its coffers via a Republic crowdfunding campaign.