Zynga’s CityVille GM heads to Kixeye

Games industry veteran Alan Patmore has left Zynga to join strategy game developer Kixeye.

The former general manager of Cityville will become vice president of product, responsible for all aspects of product strategy and development.

“I’m a big fan of KIXEYE and what they’ve been able to accomplish over the last couple of years," said Patmore.

"I believe that there’s a massive opportunity to bring triple-A production value to core, free-to-play games and Kixeye is perfectly positioned to lead that charge.

"I couldn’t be more excited about the team, strategy and product roadmap. There are some launches coming later this year that are going to set the industry on fire.”

Aside from Cityville, Patmore also served as GM for MafiaWars, and served as VP of product development at Double Fine, where he oversaw the development of titles such as Stacking, Costume Quest, and Iron Brigade.

Patmore co-founded Surreal Software, and served as president and CEO before selling the company to Midway in 2004.

“What Alan brings to the table is a killer product instinct and an ability to deliver high quality games," said Kixeye CEO Will Harbin.

"Like everyone else here, he’s a passionate gamer and dedicated to taking free-to-play gaming to the next level."

Kixeye snagged Brandon Barber, Zynga executive and Lionhead founder, in December of last year.