Matt Hulett

RealNetworks today continued the shakeup of its management ranks, naming Seattle technology veteran Matt Hulett as the new head of its games unit, simultaneously disclosing in a regulatory filing that it decided yesterday to end the employment of its previous games division president, John Barbour, effective Aug. 13

The company didn't go into detail about the reasons for the change, but CEO Bob Kimball suggested in a news release that the decision was based in part on the fact that Barbour doesn't live full-time in the Seattle region.

"Given the urgent need to pivot our Games business to social and online games, we think it is critical to have a leader based here in Seattle," Kimball said in the release. "Matt has the right combination of leadership skills, online business experience and support from the team to refocus our Games business on the growth markets, including social games."

The announcement was made in conjunction with the company's quarterly earnings release, in which the company reported a net loss of $25.9 million on revenue of $88.9 million. In addition, the company expanded its board to eight members with the addition Dominique Trempont, a veteran executive who currently serves on the boards of companies including Finisar Corp. and Energy Recovery Inc.

RealNetworks is positioning the games unit, now known as GameHouse, for a possible sale or spin-off as part of a broader effort to streamline and refocus its business. Hulett was the CEO of online advertising startup Mpire before he was named the chief revenue officer for RealNetworks' North American games unit. He's a former Expedia and AtomShockwave executive who worked as a RealNetworks manager earlier in his career.

Barbour, the former Toysrus.com CEO, was courted and hired by RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser to lead the games division in 2008. Kimball, who last week was named the company's CEO, after serving as the acting CEO, has been leading the restructuring efforts since Glaser departed as CEO in January.

Previously: RealNetworks retools games unit with new social gaming platform