Playdemic, the developer of popular Facebook games Gourmet Ranch and Village Life, announced today that it is bringing in Ian Livingstone to operate as company chairman.
“The appointment of Ian demonstrates our commitment to creating the highest-quality games,” Playdemic chief executive Paul Gouge said in a statement. “Ian has operated at the top of the games business for many years, and I am confident that his incredible experience and expertise in all aspects of the industry will prove invaluable in Playdemic’s continued growth. Ian has already proved to be an inspiration and a resource for the Playdemic team in creating exciting new games for the latest platforms.”
Livingstone is a renowned fantasy author and game designer. He wrote the influential Fighting Fantasy gamebook series with his partner Steve Jackson. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded Games Workshop, which oversees the Warhammer tabletop-gaming franchise. He also holds the title of life president at game studio Eidos.
“The boom in social gaming represents an incredible opportunity for talented game studios like Playdemic,” said Livingstone. “Millions of people are playing games on their smartphones and Facebook. Playdemic is a hidden U.K. success story, first with Gourmet Ranch on Facebook in 2010 and more recently with the hugely successful launch of Village Life. I am delighted to be appointed chairman of the company and look forward to working with the team to drive further growth on Facebook and helping to leverage the studio’s content across mobile platforms.”