Zynga: Game over for Dan Porter
Creator of OMGPOP's Draw Something is yet another member of Zynga's executive team to step out the door.
Vice President Dan Porter, former CEO of OMGPOP before it was acquired by Zynga, has left the social gaming company. Zynga called the leave a "mutual decision" and appointed another Zynga vice president, Sean Kelly, to the head the New York office. Kelly joined Zynga in 2009 and has lead teams that have worked on games like CityVille, Farmville, and Zynga Poker.
Porter's Twitter feed has been silent about his departure, but he hasn't been shy about sharing his thoughts publicly in the past. During a panel discussion earlier this month, Porter admitted that Zynga copies other people's games.
Porter's departure comes shortly after celebrity TV host Ryan Seacrest leaked news of Draw Something 2 on Twitter. Porter confirmed the game's existence in a reply tweet.
Zynga COO David Ko acknowledged Porter's work on the Draw Something sequel in a statement:
"Developing and launching games is a team effort, and we're proud of the great work the Zynga New York team has done with Draw Something 2. Our follow up to the original hit is even more social and engaging, and we're excited to get it into the hands of our players globally. We thank Dan Porter for his efforts in making the Draw Something franchise a success and wish him well in his future endeavors. We're proud to see talent like Sean Kelly take a bigger leadership role as the Head of our New York studio and lead the team to the global launch of Draw Something 2."
Zynga acquired OMGPOP for a reported $210 million last year, just as Draw Something was nearing the peak of its popularity. After some steady growth, Draw Something's user numbers dropped significantly. Zynga had to write off part of the money usedfor the acquisition later that year.
Porter's departure adds to the slew of executives who have left since the company went public at the end of 2011.