Zynga is losing another top executive.
Mike Verdu, the social gaming company's chief creative officer, has left San Francisco-based Zynga to start a new company. In a blog post on Zynga's website, Verdu said he's enjoyed his more than three years at the company, but loves being an entrepreneur.
"I'm very proud of my part in building this remarkable company," Verdu said. "Now, however, it's time for me to try something new."
Verdu is starting a mobile gaming company, in which Zynga is investing.
"We are excited for Mike in this next chapter in his distinguished career and we are grateful for his contributions to Zynga," CEO Mark Pincus said in a statement.
Verdu oversaw Zynga's game development efforts, which have been under scrutiny lately. In its most recent quarterly report, Zynga blamed its worse-than-expected results in part on delays in launching new games and poor results from existing ones.
Verdu's departure comes about three weeks after Zynga announced that Chief Operating Officer John Schappert was leaving the company. Schappert, a longtime executive in the video game industry, had worked at Zynga less than 18 months.
The executive shake-up comes amid growing questions about Zynga's business model and prospects. Its stock is down 39 percent since its quarterly report last month. For the year, Zynga's shares are down 67 percent.
