Zynga has announced the promotion of Zynga India’s vice president and general manager Akshay Bharadwaj to the new role of studio head at Socialpoint.
At Zynga India, Bharadwaj oversaw live operations of many Zynga titles throughout India, including the Farmville franchise, as well as building teams to create new mass market games. He brings decades of experience in the fields of management and engineering in sectors such as gaming, digital learning and consumer internet.
Under his leadership, Socialpoint will be launching a new mobile game worldwide within parent company Take-Two Interactive’s 2024 fiscal year, adding to the studio’s existing portfolio of titles which includes the likes of Dragon City, Two Dots, and Monster Legends.
Success across markets
“I’m honoured to lead the incredibly talented Socialpoint studio into our next phase of growth while maintaining the wonderful culture, values, and identity the team has already built,” said Bharadwaj. “Socialpoint has established itself as a beacon of mobile development and live operations and we will continue that tradition while carving out new areas where the studio can expand and employ strategies to grow live operations and simultaneously develop new projects.”
“With extensive experience across various roles in gaming, including managing Zynga’s iconic FarmVille franchise, Akshay has an exceptional track record of success and commitment to fostering team culture and values,” said Zynga executive vice president of games Yaron Leyvand. “As a Zynga studio, Socialpoint can now leverage Zynga’s resources and expertise as we embark on the next phase of this exciting journey.”
India is one of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing mobile gaming markets, with an increase in market penetration and the accessibility of mobile phones compared to other platforms solidifying mobile as the subcontinent’s platform of choice. Zynga are doubtless hoping to leverage Bharadwaj’s experience to drive Socialpoint’s growth.
We listed Take-Two Interactive as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2022.