Clive Downie joins Zynga as COO

Zynga has picked up Clive Downie as its new COO, the company revealed during its quarterly earnings call.

Downie recently left his position as CEO of DeNA West in a surprise move that had many puzzled until today’s announcement.

His more than 20 years of experience includes time at companies like EA, where he served as vice president of marketing for 15 years, and Mattel.

"Zynga challenged the status quo of entertainment and changed the game for our industry by bringing free, highly social games to mainstream audiences around the world," said Downie.

"I joined Zynga because I believe it has the ability to unlock disruptive new ideas that span gaming genres, markets and services. Zynga’s uniquely positioned inside a growing market to deliver consumers around the world an entertainment experience as beloved as their favorite TV show, movie or music."

CEO Don Mattrick called Downie "a seasoned leader with a deep understanding of consumer, marketing and mobile engagement, international experience operating both in EMEA and Japan and a rich background in game publishing — all of which are incredibly valuable as Zynga navigates its move to mobile."

The company also announced that after heavy cuts it’s nearly in the black again, with losses down to just $68,000 for the quarter, though revenues, bookings, and users also fell away sharply from last year.

Zynga’s share price has risen more than twelve percent after hours to $3.99 on the news.