Riley Russell brings more than 20 years of direct experience working in the games and interactive entertainment industry. Russell serves as the head of Corporate Development in addition to his ongoing role as the company's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Business & Legal Affairs, a role he was appointed to in 2002. In this capacity Russell oversees a group of more than 60 individuals worldwide who specialize in areas including computer and entertainment law, technology licensing, sports and character licensing, intellectual property and more. Russell's diverse legal career experience includes all aspects of video games, television and theatrical production, patent and copyright litigation, technical asset licensing, and trial law. From 2005 to 2008 Russell served as head of Third Party Relations and Developer Support, managing licensee relationships and overall strategic product planning in support of all PlayStation platforms including the 2006 launch of PlayStation®3 (PS3™) entertainment system.
Prior to joining the company, Russell held the positions of corporate counsel and director of legal pf business affairs for Sega of America, Inc.
Russell is a member of several organizations, including the California and American Bar Associations, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the Public Policy Committee and the Piracy Committee for the Entertainment Software Association, as well as the Ratings Committee for the Entertainment Software Rating Board. He was an member of the original group that formed the rating systems for games. He is also an advisor to the Santa Clara Law School High Tech Law Journal.
Russell received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley, his master's degree in economics from the University of California at Davis and his juris doctorate from the University of Santa Clara in California.