Ian Hetherington, former MD of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has joined Immotion Group, a UK-based VR firm, as chair of Immotion Studios, the company's VR experience creation arm.

During his time at Sony, Hetherington was instrumental in the design and implementation of the Sony PlayStation and oversaw its launch into the European market, which, at launch, made up more than 80 per cent of the market share. He also published a number of leading Playstation games, including Wipeout and Lemmings, and served as one of the mentors of Grand Theft Auto creator, David Jones.

In his new role Hetherington will oversee ongoing commercial work, as well as create a number of immersive experiences for National Geographic. He will also be responsible for developing a catalogue of new experiences, focused on the company's partner markets.

"Ian will, I'm sure, add his own dynamism and commercial expertise to the creation of our experiences," said Martin Higginson, CEO of Immotion Group. "He is currently working on a number of highly engaging experiences, giving our partner sales team the perfect product for a number of existing partners, as well as giving us the perfect range of experiences for zoos, science centres and museums."