Former Zynga design chief considers founding new game studio

FrontierVille creator and the former game design chief at Zynga Brian Reynolds isn't exactly sure about his next move post-Zynga. However, according to an editorial the veteran designer wrote on VentureBeat, it will probably involve starting yet another game studio. (Reynolds also appears bullish on mobile, free-to-play strategy gaming.)

"I want to experiment more than might be appropriate for a publicly traded company, and I might want to do something that would be 'off strategy' for Zynga or otherwise too risky," Reynolds wrote. "So I'm getting that itch, and though I need some time to think about exactly what I want to do next. I suspect that "starting a little studio with a few wingmen" - for the fourth time in my career - is likely to be on the menu."

The main man behind FrontierVille is most recently known for his work on CityVille 2, but "hardcore" gamers are most familiar with the name "Brian Reynolds" for his contributions to the Civilization series of strategy games. Hence his interest in strategy gaming on tablets. "And suddenly, the tablet and mobile world look like they might be on the verge of a strategy games renaissance – hey, I used to be good at making those! – and free-to-play is leading the way," Reynolds wrote.

The storied game maker went on to laud the creative and corporate culture of his former home away from home. Reynolds looks back on his time with Zynga with a sense that he and his crew were "writing new rules for the industry." No doubt it will be exciting to see whether he can add some new maneuvers to the mobile gaming playbook.

Are you bummed to see the creator of FrontierVille walk away from Zynga? What do you hope he does next? Add Comment.