Zynga has confirmed that Clive Downie has resigned as chief operating officer at the firm, just weeks after Don Mattrick also stepped down from his position as chief executive officer of the social gaming company.
Downie first joined the company in October 2013 from social gaming outfit DeNA and served as chief operating officer throughout his year-and-a-half spell with Zynga.
Although Downie is yet to confirm his next move, Venturebeat.com has reported that he has already accepted an offer to take on the role of chief marketing officer at Unity Technologies.
John Riccitiello, chief executive of San Francisco-based Unity, confirmed the move in an interview with Venturebeat.com, stating that he was “thrilled” to have Downie on board.
Downie’s departure comes after iGaming Business reported earlier this month that Don Mattrick had opted to step down from his role as chief executive officer at Zynga.
Mattrick had been serving in the role since July 2013 after replacing founder Mark Pincus.
However, upon the news of Mattrick’s departure from the company, Zynga said that Pincus would return to the role in an effort to turn around the social gaming outfit’s struggling fortunes.
Speaking in a letter to Zynga staff earlier this month, Pincus said: “I am returning to the company that I love in order to accelerate innovation in the most popular categories like Action Strategy and strengthen our focus on our core areas like Invest and Express.
“Zynga pioneered social gaming for the mass market and our mission to connect the world through games has never wavered.”
Meanwhile, Zynga has also announced that Louis Lavigne, former chief financial officer of Genentech, has joined the company’s board of directors.
Lavigne currently serves as managing director of management consulting firm Lavrite and also sits on the boards of various other companies such as radiation oncology firm Accuray.
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
