Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Lars Buttler is a Founder and the CEO of Trion Worlds, the publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the connected world. Trion’s first online game, RIFT™, launched worldwide on March 1, 2011, to critical and consumer acclaim. Trion provides groundbreaking new capabilities and content to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of online, gaming, and traditional media.
Prior to founding Trion, Buttler was Vice President for Global Online at Electronic Arts, the world’s largest independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Buttler led EA’s strategy for online games and services and ran EA’s Online Studio, home to the pioneering Ultima Online MMOG franchise.
Before EA, Buttler served as Vice President for Leveraged Buyouts at the Carlyle Group, the premier global private equity firm, focusing on large-scale investments in entertainment, media, and telecommunications.
Prior to Carlyle, Buttler served as President of Wingcast Europe, a joint venture of QUALCOMM and Ford Motor Co. and a leading wireless in-vehicle media platform and interactive service network. He holds a PhD in Engineering from Dortmund University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Senior Vice President, Development
Nicholas Beliaeff is Senior Vice President of Development for Trion Worlds, where he oversees all product development for the company as well as monetization, customer service, and localization. Beliaeff is tasked with growing the company’s portfolio of games via internal studios responsible for such premier titles as RIFT™ and Defiance™. Nicholas also manages external development relationships to take full advantage of Trion’s industry-leading online platform with groundbreaking games like End of Nations™. Beliaeff is focused on broadening the MMO market and extending massively social online games into new genres, platforms, and directions. Beliaeff joined Trion with over 20 years of experience creating some of the most well-known titles in the video game business, with a focus on MMOs. Beliaeff served as San Diego studio head for Sony Online Entertainment, building the console division, launching new IPs, and operating popular franchises like EverQuest while overseeing a staff of more than 200 people. Beliaeff also led all third-party development at Strategic Simulations, Inc. and served as Vice President of Product Development at The 3DO Company, where he first entered into internet gaming with Meridian 59.
Chief Creative Officer and Executive Producer, RIFT
Scott Hartsman is Chief Creative Officer and General Manager of Trion’s Redwood Shores Studio and Executive Producer of RIFT™. At Sony Online Entertainment, Scott spent more than seven years managing technical and overall development for products in the EverQuest franchise. Scott’s career in game development began with design and development roles with the GemStone series, one of the first virtual worlds. Hartsman was later Vice President for Interplay Online's platform and games, shipping titles across a number of online services. Between development, leadership, and consulting, Hartsman has been involved with half a dozen MMOs over the last ten years that have totaled over one billion dollars in aggregate revenue.
Senior Vice President, Technology and Platform
Chris Yates is Senior Vice President of Technology and Platform for Trion Worlds. Yates joined Trion after seven years at Sony, where he oversaw the network platform development for Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Media Software and Services, and Sony Network Entertainment. Most recently, Yates led the development and operation of Sony’s network platform, the infrastructure that supports PlayStation Network (PSN) game, video, and comic content worldwide. At Electronic Arts, Yates served as CTO for EA.com and helped lead launch efforts for Ultima Online and The Sims Online. Prior to EA, Yates held Vice President of Research and Development roles for Virgin Interactive Entertainment and Westwood Studios.
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Europe
John Burns is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Trion’s European office, where he oversees ongoing development in the European market. Burns has held senior positions in the industry across both online and packaged goods, including Vice President and General Manager of Atari and Senior Director of Online Publishing for Electronic Arts, where he was responsible for driving online services and digital distribution revenues and strategies across Europe. Prior to his online role, John led publishing at EA Mobile Europe, where he was responsible for formulating and executing against EA’s Global Mobile gaming strategy. John has been deeply involved in the interactive entertainment industry across Asia and Europe for over 15 years. Initially working for Atari Computers and Sega in Australia, he has also held a variety of senior sales and marketing roles across several companies. In the late 1990s, John served as Managing Director for Activision Europe, taking them from a company that was outside the Top 30 to a Top 5 European publisher.
