Tagged hires former EA, Pogo VP to run social games, compete with Facebook

Another former EA bigwig has been snagged, or rather, tagged. The self-proclaimed social network for meeting new people, Tagged, has hired Andrew Pedersen (pictured) as VP and general manager of its brand new social games division.

Formerly VP of EA's casual web games portal, Pogo, Pedersen will oversee the 100-million-strong social network's five existing social games and the creation of its own dedicated social games studio. Pedersen most recently served as senior VP for Blue Noodle, a firm that connects brands with casual and social games.

"We wanted the best in the social gaming field to lead our efforts, and in Andrew Pedersen we got what we wanted," says Tagged CEO Greg Tseng in a statement. "Under Andrew's guidance our Studio is primed to deliver unique titles that don't just entertain an audience, but also inspire players to build new connections. It's an exciting move for us, and for social gaming in general."

With Pedersen's help, Tagged will create future social games in-house, three of which are already in development. According to a release, the network's number one game, Pets, enjoy 5 million trade interactions daily. (Note: this doesn't necessarily mean 5 million daily players.) Before overseeing the creation of the Pogo subscription service for EA, Pedersen helped craft additions to classics like Prince of Persia and Carmen Sandiego. Whether Tagged aims to compete directly with Facebook is unknown, but with Pedersen on board that's certainly a possibility.

[Image Credit: Gamasutra]

Have you ever played a game on the Tagged network? Do you think that with Pedersen's help, Tagged could compete with Facebook as a social gaming hub? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.