Carbonated head moves to horseplay

Joshua Howard, previously group manager of Microsoft’s internal casual games studio Carbonated Games, has left to join Hidden City Games, a company headed by Wizards of the Coast founder Peter D. Adkison.

Howard will be assuming the role of senior vice president of Bella Sara Online, a horse-themed virtual world for young girls based on the Bella Sara collectible card property.

Howard is largely experienced in the casual games market, having been lead program manager for MSN Games and Zone.com before he founded Carbonated within Microsoft.

“Joshua Howard, with his experience running a casual games studio and perspective as a father of two girls, is a clear choice to lead the evolution of BellaSara.com,” said Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games.

“BellaSara.com captures the magic of the brand in a safe and engaging experience, and Howard will expand it into a robust online destination rich in features and fun.”