Former Yahoo chief operating officer Dan Rosensweig has been hired by video game maker Activision to head its unit that markets the popular Guitar Hero franchise, the company said Monday.

As president and CEO of Activision's RedOctane unit, Rosensweig replaces Kai Huang, who created the game with his brother Charles. Huang will remain at the company and report to Rosensweig, the Santa Monica, California-based company said in a statement.

Activision said Rosensweig will oversee Guitar Hero's game development, supply chain and marketing. The video game series, first released in 2005, have become one of the most popular titles in the United States and a pop cultural phenomenon.

The game franchise is expected to face challenges this year in maintaining sales growth due to the deteriorating economic recession.

Rosensweig, recently an operating principal with a private equity firm, left Yahoo in late 2006 in a restructuring effort before Microsoft's unsuccessful bid to take over the Internet portal giant.

Rosensweig's deep understanding of how consumers can be entertained on-line will be invaluable as Activision expands Guitar Hero into other music platforms, said Mike Griffith, head of the company's publishing division.

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2009)