Industry Veterans Join Midwest Games

Industry veterans joins Midwest Games leadership team. Credit: Midwest Games

Green Bay, Wisconsin-based video game publisher Midwest Games announced this week that it has added three industry leaders to its leadership team: Alyssa Walles, Gina Joseph, and Larry Hryb.

Walles joins the company as its new chief operating officer. Walles has been in the video games industry for more than 20 years, playing a key role in the launch of the Walt Disney Gift Catalog, Sony PlayStation, and negotiating national sports league agreements for the video game franchise Backyard Sports (NFL, MLB, NBA) as part of each company’s leadership teams. She also founded Amplitude Consulting in 2002, providing business strategy, development, sales, and marketing guidance for start-ups and multinational corporations. She also currently serves as executive director with the International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDA Foundation).

Joining Midwest Games’ board of directors is the VentureBeat Chief Strategy Officer Gina Joseph. Joseph has nearly 20 years of experience in media and tech and is the founder of VentureBeat Lab, a  thought leadership consultancy. She also currently serves as board member of The Daily Californian and the Alumnae-i Network for Harvard Women.

Finally, Xbox and Microsoft veteran Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb has joined the company’s advisory board. Hyrb is well know to Xbox fans as being the face and voice of Microsoft’s console since its launch. Hyrb was integral in creating some of Xbox’s biggest features, systems, and games including Xbox Live, Xbox Game Studios, the Halo series, Sea of Thieves, and Kinect Sports, and more.

“We are honored to welcome Alyssa, Gina, and Larry to further what Midwest Games is building,” Midwest Games Founder and CEO Ben Kvalo said in a release. Their diverse expertise and extensive experience in the entertainment, gaming, and tech industries will play a crucial role in propelling Midwest Games to new heights and realizing our mission of fostering and creating more opportunity no matter where you are.”