Sony Online Entertainment VP John Blakely joins Zynga Austin as GM

It almost goes without saying that Sony has had one turbulent spring, but the company suffers yet another loss in its Sony Online Entertainment division. And this time, it's not your information. SOE VP of Development John Blakely has moved on from his position with the Facebook and massively multiplayer (MMO) game creator to Zynga, Kotaku reports. Blakely will become GM of Zynga Austin. According to Kotaku, this took place over a month ago, as Blakely's Linkedin page reads.

The move came just as the company suffered a debilitated network that will likely cost the company (and its developers) millions. However, Inside Social Games observes that this move could have been a long time coming, according to AppData's findings on SOE's social games. Games like PoxNora have suffered a terribly steep decline to now just over 3 thousand monthly players. And even it's games attached to mega licenses like Catch A Killer enjoy a mere 22 thousand monthly players.

When contacted, SOE responded to Kotaku, thanking Blakely for "the passion and leadership he brought to work every day and fully support him in his future endeavors." Blakely is succeeded by Lori Jameson, executive development director at SOE, who ironically enough oversaw all of SOE Austin's efforts for five years running. The road to recovery for SOE just keeps growing longer, but it takes more than this to bring a multi-billion dollar company down.

[Image Credit: Austin 360]

How do you think this move could affect SOE in the long run? Do you think it was a good decision for Zynga to bring him in? Share your thoughts in the comments. Add Comment.