20. Brad Wardell

Stardock

A smart advocate of digital distribution.

Stardock’s boss majored in the headlines this year because of the Gamers Bill of Rights, which he helped draft and which sought to give consumers a fair deal without damaging the interests of publishers. He has consistently offered a sensible voice on the matter of DRM, and is a proponent of digital distribution. Oh, and he’s also released some great PC games this year including the 500,000+ selling Sins of a Solar Empire, created by Blair and Craig Fraser of 
Ironclad Games.

19. Jim Greer

Kongregate

Promoting independent game development and grassroots design innovation.

Kongregate is a web-community based around user-submitted flash games. Founded by former EA-man Greer, the outfit has sought to promote game development by rewarding indies financially through rev-shares; and via tutorials like Kongregate Labs, which helps teach the basics of Flash development. The site has attracted 8,000 games uploaded from 3,000 developers and boast 4.5 million unique users a month. He recently told 1Up, “MTV did a survey awhile back of what people wanted to do when they grew up, and game designer was number one. That beat out rock musician or whatever. It's a very broad-based aspiration now, but when I was a kid it was a super geeky thing to want to do. The geeks are winning. “

18. Yoichi Wada

Square Enix

Knowing how to play the world’s most lucrative platform game.

If anyone really understands how to play the platform-holders, it’s Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada. He of the glowing appearance at E3 platform-events, one after t’other, expressing his commitment to committing a bit, but not too much, to anyone.  For a company that once traded in exclusives, this might be seen as a form of impermanence, a tartish attraction to whomever is this week’s Big Daddy. In fact, it’s a shrewd call on the dynamics of an industry that has almost, but not quite, turned its back on the platform-exclusive. By working with Microsoft and Sony to the advantage of his organization, Wada has shown that he’s nobody’s fool.

17. Mike Morhaime

Activision Blizzard

A game industry legend who keeps on delivering.

In 2008, Mike Morhaime won an Emmy for World of Warcraft and was inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.  He was a key element in the merger between Blizzard and Activision (becoming an executive officer of the new entity), during a year in which a new World of Warcraft expansion was successfully launched, becoming the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This year Blizzard also set the market alight just by talking about StarCraft sequels and a new Diablo - so much for the death of the PC as a games machine.

16. Glen A. Schofield

EA Redwood Shores

Representing Electronic Arts’ admirable attempts to up its game.

Glen Schofield is general manager of EA Redwood Shores studio, and executive producer on Dead Space. It was one of the games that has marked this year as one in which Electronic Arts, lead by CEO John Riccitiello, has sought to up its game in terms of gameplay innovation and creative status. Dead Space achieved this goal via a well-paced, good-looking horror-adventure. Despite EA’s financial troubles, the company’s development studios have undoubtedly had a good year. Redwood Shores is just one that deserves merit.