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20-Year Stint Included President, COO Roles
Longtime gaming exec Paul Sams recently uprooted from Orange County, moved to Austin, Texas, and then ended up taking the top job at Irvinebased game developer Ready at Dawn, which is less than two miles from his former employer, Blizzard Entertainment Inc.
Sams, who spent 20 years at Blizzard- most recently in the role of president and chief operating officer- didn't plan it that way.
"I didn't think I would ever leave Blizzard," said Sams, who played a key role in the past decade guiding the company from 50 employees to more than 4,000 as its market value soared past $5 billion.
But weekly commutes for about a year from Irvine to Austin to be home with his family-who moved there partly due to past connections they had with the city and state-took a toll. His wife is...