Savvy Games Group CEO Steps Down in Latest Industry Executive Shakeups

A series of major executive departures, promotions, and new hires have reshaped leading companies across the gaming industry, headlined by a significant leadership transition at Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group.

Brian Ward is stepping down from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Savvy Games Group. Ward had led the conglomerate since 2021, guiding a massive $38 billion investment campaign into the global gaming space. Under his leadership, Savvy executed high-profile moves including the acquisition of Scopely and purchasing substantial equity stakes in Nintendo and Embracer Group. Taking over on an interim basis is Turqi Alnowaiser, who also serves as the deputy governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Other major mobile and global gaming companies have experienced notable executive shifts. At Supercell, Lasse Sepp$nen has departed the company after seven and a half years. He most recently worked as the General Manager of Supercell London and ran central game production services, having previously worked on major titles like Everdale, Hay Day, and Boom Beach. Sepp$nen intends to pursue new game IP ventures and establish his own studio by 2027. Concurrently, Supercell has hired Luran Zhang as a community manager following her tenure at Lilith Games, and Mateusz Janczewski as a game producer.

In other executive transitions:

• King: David Howe has transitioned to product strategy director for Candy Crush Saga, moving from his previous role as head of operations on Farm Heroes Saga. Michael Stratton joins the company as CRM director, and Paolo Daolio has moved into a product manager role on Pet Rescue Saga.
• Lion Studios: Tamara Feiman has been appointed CEO after six years with the firm, succeeding Nicholas Le. Additionally, Kimz Zhang has joined as studio manager to target partnerships with Chinese and APAC-based puzzle game developers.
• Apple: The tech giant has appointed Rafael Ferrer, formerly a lead product manager at Blizzard, as product manager for the App Store. Hugo Landberg, previously a project manager in group strategy at Telia, has also joined as business manager for the App Store.
• Huuuge Games: Luis Russell has joined as VP of product, following a 12-year stint at King where he most recently served as senior product director.
• Zynga: Lee Donovan, celebrating 15 years with the firm, has transitioned to director of business operations. Melih Yurduseven has joined as performance marketing manager.
• PlaySimple Games / Modern Times Group: Varun Mathure has been appointed as chief marketing officer of the Casual division in Singapore as the firm gears up for an IPO.