True Games, known for Warrior Epic and currently working with Petroglyph on Mytheon, has appointed Mick Giles as its new Chief Technology Officer, while also announcing that it will be closing its California based HQ and consolidate it with its recently opened free-to-play focused development studio in Texas.

Giles brings more than 13 years of experience to the position having served in a variety of management roles at Electronic Arts, Turbine, Sony Online Entertainment and more. Giles specializes in Online Game Development & Deployment, Business Development, Managing Outsourced and Offshore Development efforts and Technology Invention and Development.

Most recently Giles served as Sr. Director of Online Operations for North America & Asia and Sr. Director of Technology for Worldwide Studios at Electronic Arts. In the roles there he led technology initiatives for as many as six AAA franchises for the company for 3 years. Prior to that, Giles served as Executive Director of Technology at Turbine, leading multiple core development, Operations, IT, and Business Development efforts for Asheron's Call, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Lord of the Rings Online MMO's. From 2003-2006, Giles served as Director of Platform Technology at Sony Online Entertainment where he led development and technology efforts on titles such as EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online, Planetside and many others.

Prior to SOE, Giles had an earlier stint at EA, serving in technology roles at EA's Maxis and Pogo Studios where he managed the online platform development teams and determined the technical direction for games including The Sims Online, Motor City Online, Majestic, Harry Potter Online, and Earth & Beyond.

"Mick brings to the team an extensive background in technology, operations, platform management and more, and we look forward to adding his expertise to our management team," said Jeff Lujan, Founder and CEO of True Games Interactive. "With one live game in Warrior Epic and one game about to go into beta in Mytheon, as well as multiple games in development, his expertise and experience is a welcome addition to the team."

True Games has also decided to consolidate its two North American offices; moving its headquarters from Irvine, California to Austin, Texas where it started a game development studio earlier this year. The company cites continued growth, stronger internal communication and a heavier focus on its game development, as well as an excellent talent pool in Austin as its reasons for the decision to base its headquarters there.

"Over the course of the year our company has changed from a publishing-only focus to one that includes a heavy emphasis on our game development," continued Lujan. "Bringing our North American staff together under one roof will allow us to grow and nurture our development process, while also providing synergies and complementary support to our development team in Beijing."