Gen Con Hires New President

Hoppe is currently vice president of Seattle-based mobile game developer Blastworks Inc.

The organization that puts on one of the largest annual events in Indianapolis has a new president. Seattle-based Gen Con LLC has hired industry veteran David Hoppe to fill the role. In addition, current Chief Executive Officer Adrian Swartout has announced she will retire after this summer’s convention.

Hoppe is currently vice president of marketing and business development for Seattle-based mobile game developer Blastworks Inc. His career also includes a leadership role with Xbox Live and Microsoft. Swartout says Hoppe "brings a wealth of game industry experience and a strong managerial skillset to the Gen Con organization."

Swartout, who has led Gen Con for 10 years, will step down as CEO following August’s Gen Con 50 event in Indianapolis. The organization says the event’s annual attendance has more than doubled during Swartout’s tenure.

In December, Gen Con agreed to a one-year extension of its contract with the city, which now runs through 2021. The announcement came after the 2016 event saw record-high turnstile attendance of nearly 202,000. The convention came to Indianapolis in 2003, and expanded into Lucas Oil Stadium to accommodate its growth last year.

The 50th annual Gen Con will take place August 17-20.