Backyard Monsters creator Kixeye snags another former Zynga exec

"Hardcore" games require "hardcore" people behind them--even on Facebook. Kixeye, creator of such games on Facebook like Backyard Monsters and War Commander, announced that it has hired Brandon Barber as SVP of Marketing. Barber comes to Kixeye from Lionside, a social games maker he co-founded and sold to ngmoco in June. But before that, he was a Zynga man.

In fact, Barber was the first ever VP of Marketing at the social games giant, which is now poised to go public on the stock market this week. According to Kixeye, its new SVP of Marketing helped lay the groundwork for Zynga's communication, brand and marketing strategies. And before event that, the guy was a marketing head with EA. In other words, this guy knows his stuff. And he apparently knows good games when he sees them, too.

"Kixeye is pushing the limits of what is possible in online gaming," Barber said in a statement. "They've moved beyond cutesy Facebook games targeting 45 year old housewives to create games that gamers can actually be proud of. Will and the Kixeye team are showing the world that social games can engage users on a visceral and cerebral level. I look forward to being a part of that."

Kixeye's motto is "play to win," and with over 1 million more monthly players than its closest competitor, Kabam, the company seems to be doing an OK job of that. Granted, the majority those 3.8 million monthly players are in Backyard Monsters, but we have a feeling Barber is there to help change that. Barber is the second Zynga veteran to join Kixeye this year.

[Image Credit: PaperCarrier]

Do you think Kixeye will maintain its position as a leading strategy games maker on Facebook? What else would you like to see from Kixeye in the future? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.