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Social games firm King.com has announced a new investment initiative that will establish a social games studio in London.
The new facility in Britain’s capital will be headed up by Catharina Lavers Mallet, the former Playfish development director who last week was at the centre of speculation suggesting she had left the company.
“I am thrilled to be setting up a new studio for King.com,” said Mallet (pictured).
“I am excited by the company’s vision to be number one in the casual social games category, and have been very impressed by the team and the original IP they have built.”
The terms and reasons for Mallet’s departure from Playfish, and its parent company Electronic Arts, was not disclosed.
Mallet was brought into Playfish, which EA acquired for more than $300 million, to head up production on a “triple-A” social title, the details of which have yet to be revealed.
King.com said it is hoping to scale up the studio to inhabit about 40 staff.
Company CEO Riccardo Zacconi branded King.com as “the global leader in the casual social games space”, adding that the firm is “now building out our development capacity to deliver further compelling titles".
