Upstart video game system developer Infinium Labs Inc. on Tuesday named a former key executive of Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox project as its president.

Kevin Bachus, who was director of third-party relations on the Xbox team and before that managed the Microsoft group that developed the DirectX graphics standard, will also serve as chief operating officer of Sarasota, Florida-based Infinium.

Infinium, which recently became a public company through a merger with a shell company traded over-the-counter, has said it plans to release the “Phantom,” its entry in to the $10-billion-a-year U.S. video game hardware and software market.

Until recently, details about the Phantom have been mostly confined to mysterious pictures and press releases touting a system with the heart of a PC, that plays PC games, but does its work via a broadband connection to the Internet. Users of the device would not need to buy discs or other physical game software.

Founded in Dec. 2002, the company has yet to make a major public presentation of its hardware or service, instead doing business behind close doors with game publishers, service providers and the press at shows like 2003’s Electronic Entertainment Expo and 2004’s Consumer Electronics Show.

“Obviously the company has an interesting perception in the marketplace,” Bachus said in his first interview since joining the company. “Certainly there’s a tremendous amount of work that has to be done between now and launch.”

NEW FINANCING

Earlier this week, Infinium picked up $15 million in financing by selling 1 million shares of stock each to two investment groups at $7.50 a share. The company is majority owned by two co-founders, Chief Executive Timothy Roberts and former COO Robert Shambro.

Infinium has said it would run a “beta” test of the Phantom system and network with 100 testers in the first quarter, but Bachus said he would first review the product.

“As far as a beta test it’s too early to say,” he said. “One of the constraints I would put on the team is I do believe it’s critical to get the product out to market this holiday season.”

Bachus said the company’s crucial offering would be the “Phantom Gaming Service,” the secure private network it is developing on to deliver game content to subscribers.

“We’re trying to create a gaming service. The hardware is sort of a necessary evil,” he said.

Bachus also conceded the company had work to do to overcome some of the skepticism from analysts who see it taking on entrenched competitors such as Microsoft and Sony Corp.

“When you put yourself out there and you try to do something ambitious there is always going to be skepticism,” he said. “The only way I know to address skepticism to be deliberate and consistent in everything we do.”

Source: Reuters.com.

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