Linden Lab Appoints Jerome Despret as Senior Vice President of Engineering

Linden Research, Inc., the company behind the virtual world Second Life, today announced the appointment of Jerome Despret as Senior Vice President of Engineering. Despret brings more than 25 years of experience in the gaming industry, with deep expertise in massively multiplayer platforms, live service games, and large-scale engineering organizations. Earlier in his career at Electronic Arts and Maxis, he served as Lead Engineer on The Sims Online and later held multiple leadership roles across The Sims franchise, including directing engineering efforts that helped grow the engineering team behind The Sims 4 from its early development into full production.

Most recently, Despret held senior engineering leadership roles at companies including Riot Games, Zynga, and Pantheon Platform. At Riot Games, he helped scale a new game team from five to nearly eighty people while leading engineering and operations functions. At Zynga, he oversaw engineering for Zynga Poker, one of the company's highest-grossing live service titles. Across his career, Despret has led teams of more than 100 and delivered complex projects from early development through global launch across PC, mobile, and cloud-based platforms. In his new role at Linden Lab, he will focus on strengthening the company's engineering organization and supporting the continued growth and technical evolution of Second Life.

About Linden Lab:

Linden Lab develops platforms that empower people to create, share, and benefit from virtual experiences. Founded in 1999, the company first launched Second Life, the ground-breaking virtual world enjoyed by millions around the globe, in 2003, which has since gone on to boast nearly two billion user creations and a vibrant $650 million (USD) economy. For more about Linden Lab, its products, and career opportunities, visit its website.

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