U.K. game publishers' group ELSPA, the British equivalent of the ESA, has a new top dog.

Edge Online reports that longtime ELSPA exec Michael Rawlinson will succeed the departing Paul Jackson as director general.

ELSPA chairman Andy Payne commented on the move:

We greatly thank Paul for his dedication and commitment over the past two and a half years,‭ ‬establishing ELSPA as a key conduit between the video games industry and the UK Government.

Whilst we are losing Paul on an operational basis,‭ ‬we are fortunate that he will continue to support ELSPA in his new role.‭ ‬Michael has excelled under Paul's leadership and is now absolutely ready to take the role as director general and lead ELSPA into the future.‭

In recent times Rawlinson has been a very public supporter of the PEGI rating system whilst bashing the competing BBFC.

In October Rawlinson asserted that Labour MP Keith Vaz, a longtime critic of the video game industry, actually gave helpful publicity to the violent games he was criticizing in Parliament:

Keith Vaz has done more to sell Rockstar's games than Rockstar has. The original Manhunt was released, did diddly squat and fell right off the radar until the Stefan Pakeerah [murder] came and Vaz started shouting from the rooftops and then everyone went and bought the stuff...