Ruel Led Marketing Efforts for Blizzard’s Fastest-Selling Game of All Time: Diablo IV
Skybound Entertainment, the creator-led, multi-platform entertainment powerhouse behind mega-hit franchises like The Walking Dead, Invincible on Prime Video, and Impact Winter on Audible, today announced yet another addition to its executive team: Kaleb Ruel. As the newly appointed VP of Marketing for its in-house video game studio, Ruel brings a wealth of experience garnered from his tenure at Activision Blizzard, where he played a pivotal role in the record-breaking launch of Diablo IV, the fastest-selling game in Blizzard’s history, achieving an unprecedented $666 million in sales within its inaugural five days. Known for his innovative “culture-hack” approach to marketing, Kaleb orchestrated high-profile celebrity collaborations with icons such as Halsey, SUGA of BTS and Megan Fox, elevating Diablo IV‘s mass awareness and impact at launch.
Ruel is Skybound’s seventh major executive hire this year alone, indicating the company has a robust strategy in place to strengthen its dynamic executive team and capture increased market share from incumbent video game and entertainment studios. Strategic new hires across the company include: Gregg Sulak, CFO (formerly Wondery CFO), Chris Paulson, EVP and GM, Games Publishing (formerly VP of Product at Activision Blizzard); Jeff Chaiken, Head of Corporate Development, where he held the same title at Electronic Arts; Lizzie Alberga, Head of People and Performance, (Founder & CEO, Collective Gain); Will Kassoy, Head of Consumer Strategy (previously President, Omaze); Ben Abernathy, Executive Editor, Editorial, coming from the same position at DC Comics; Brent Jacoby, EVP, Unscripted TV (EVP of Development at Catalina Content); and Chris Goble, SVP Scripted TV (previously VP of Television, MGM TV).
“I loved working with Kaleb previously, and I’m thrilled to have him join me at Skybound. Kaleb’s experience building great marketing teams in gaming, music streaming, and consumer retail will help accelerate Skybound’s publishing capabilities. We share a vision that successful games are defined by their community of players and great marketing is about building that community. Kaleb is assembling a world-class marketing team to deliver that vision for Skybound Games,” said Chris Paulson, EVP and GM of Games Publishing.
Before his role at Activision Blizzard, Ruel was Head of US Marketing at Spotify from 2017-2021, pivotal growth years for the streaming service. His leadership was core to driving some of Spotify’s most impactful marketing initiatives in the US, including the annual Spotify Wrapped program, lauded within the industry as a “masterclass of fan advocacy.” Kaleb holds a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University.
