GameSpot News ran into an informally dressed Stephen Ackroyd at last week's Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. Ackroyd tipped us off to the fact that he was no longer with Sega of America.
Ackroyd was hired last September as part of what appeared to be an overall bulking up of Sega's Dreamcast team. He was hired then as VP and general manager of business development and was in charge of Sega's network gaming and e-commerce business model. He politely demurred when asked to provide the background and context of his departure. With no replacement named, there can be little doubt his departure will impact the Dreamcast launch.
In related news, Sega also lost its long-standing corporate communications manager last month - Dan Stevens left Sega of America in mid-February to pursue other interests. Public relations firm Access Communications has assumed all corporate communications functions for Sega of America.