Bachus, who joined the firm in January and became CEO in August, had provided a huge boost for the controversial firm following his previous role at Microsoft where he helped launch the original Xbox.

Koler (pictured) steps up from the role of European director to fill his boots.

“I’d like to thank Kevin for his past support and wish him well with his future endeavours,” commented Koler. “A lot of that support has helped put our operational planning on track and has helped create awareness for the company in the industry.”

Koler has operated in broadband gaming and interactive TV services for over 15 years, having previously worked for the likes of Softbank Broadband, Infomedia S.A. and TDK. He was also a founding director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

The Phantom games-on-demand service is expected to launch in 2006.