Epic Games appoints ex-LucasArts president Paul Meegan VP of product development

Video game development veteran and former LucasArts president Paul Meegan is Epic Games' new vice president of product development, the company announced today.

Meegan is working alongside Epic's executive team and development staff on the Gears of War and Unreal Engine maker's current projects.

"Paul's been a friend of the Epic family for years, and we're delighted to have him join the team," said Epic Games president Mike Capps in an announcement. "His experience and leadership will have a huge impact on our mission to deliver great games and great technology."

Meegan comes from LucasArts where he served as president of the company for two years. He left the company in August after overseeing the unveiling of next-generation game Star Wars 1313. Prior to his stint at LucasArts, Meegan co-founded and served as CEO of Epic Games China (now Yingpei Games), which licensed the Unreal Engine and Atlas technology suite for massively multiplayer online games. Before that, Meegan worked at Ubisoft and Jaleco.

"I'm really happy to be back in the Epic family and working with some of the best developers in the industry," Meegan said in a statement. "Epic has demonstrated success in AAA PC and console games, mobile entertainment and the engine technology business. Epic is well-positioned to grow and thrive in the years ahead. The company is stepping up its game across the board, and I'm honored to be a part of that process."

2012 has been a year of transition for Epic Games with the departure of Gears of War leads Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson, the departure of key talent from Epic-owned studio People Can Fly and the establishment of Epic Games Seattle and Impossible Studios, formerly Epic Baltimore.