The COO of Sega Europe’s West Studios, Jurgen Post, is stepping down and being replaced by Rovio’s Alex Pelletier-Normand.
In a press release – following GamesIndustry.biz spotting signs of Post’s departure via Companies House – the publisher said that Pelletier-Norman would be taking on this new role in addition to his current position as CEO of the Angry Birds maker.
Post will be remaining at Sega Europe in an advisory position. His additional responsibilities as regional managing director are being taken over by Tatsuyuki Miyazaki, a 20-plus-year Sega veteran and Sega Europe’s chief corporate officer.
“Jurgen came back to Sega Europe in 2024 and helped set the business on an upward trajectory. The whole Sega group expresses its warmest gratitude to him for his contributions and looks forward to his continued counsel in a new advisory capacity,” Sega president and COO Shuji Utsumi said.
“In Alex, we have a leader who understands how to innovate. His expertise and the close partnership between Sega and Rovio will be invaluable in taking both businesses to the next level.”
Pelletier-Normand added: “There’s a wealth of experience and talent across Rovio and Sega Europe’s studios, and I’m relishing the challenge of bringing it all together to keep both businesses improving and innovating. What excites me most is how much these teams can learn from each other. Sega and Rovio share the same creative ambition, and bringing our strengths together puts us in a fantastic position to deliver for players wherever and however they want to play.”
Post initially worked at Sega Europe for over 10 years, joining in 2006 as managing director before eventually becoming its president and COO. He left in 2017, saying that “time to move on and maybe do one last trick, before I disappear forever.”
Months later, he joined Chinese games giant Tencent as the president of international partners for the company’s European arm. Three years later, Post joined Miniclip as its CEO, before returning to Sega Europe in 2024 as chief operating officer for its West Studios, as well as regional managing director.
Pelletier-Normand was appointed Rovio’s CEO in 2021 after joining as EVP of games in 2019. Before that he spent 16 years at Gameloft between 2003 and 2019.
Rovio, of course, came under the Sega banner after the Japanese giant spent €706 million on the Angry Birds maker in 2023. The deal hasn’t been without its issues, with Sega recording a $200 million impairment charge on the cost of acquiring Rovio in February of this year. GamesIndustry.biz recently spoke to a number of experts to discuss why the deal has disappointed and what the plan for Rovio should be moving forward.
