Candy Crush boss Todd Green appointed president of mobile powerhouse King

Microsoft-owned developer King, known for the Candy Crush series, announced an executive shuffle yesterday that will see Candy Crush boss Todd Green replace president Tjodolf Sommestad.

According to the announcement, Sommestad has decided to “take some time out of the industry” after almost 14 years in the studio. He assumed the role of company president in 2022.

Green is another longtime veteran of King, who‛s worked at the studio for 12 years. He recently oversaw the Candy Crush franchise in the role of general manage.

In his exit statement Sommestad said he’s “proud of what we achieved together” in his time at the company, praising King’s monstrously successful Candy Crush series as well as Farm Heroes Saga. He also expressed pride over “joining together with our Microsoft colleagues,” referring to the Activision Blizzard acquisition back in January 2022 (King was a critical revenue driver in Activision Blizzard’s portfolio).

“After overseeing this transition, I’ve decided now is the right moment for me to take some time out of the industry and spend more time with my family,” Sommestad said.

As stated in the announcement, the Candy Crush series has generated to $20 billion in revenue and over five billion downloads to date. “The mobile games business is young, King has adapted and evolved many times to develop great games for a huge audience, and we are just getting started,” Green said.

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Microsoft’s mobile ambitions face a major obstacle: Apple

Microsoft’s made no secret that it wants King to be the crown jewel of a growing mobile empire—but it’s faced stumbling blocks getting other initiatives off the ground. The company set out to launch a dedicated mobile game store in July 2024, yet, as reported by The Verge this week, that hasn‛t come into fruition yet. The company filed an amicus brief late on Tuesday in support of Epic Games‛ saga surrounding the absence of Fortnite in the U.S. App Store, which was restored this week after five years.

“The court ruling makes it possible for Microsoft to now launch its Xbox mobile store, but it’s clear that the software giant also wants to ensure Apple’s appeal against the ruling isn’t successful,” The Verge senior editor Tom Warren said. “If Microsoft did launch its Xbox mobile store and then Apple won a temporary stay, it may have to pull that store pending the appeal process.”

While Microsoft waits for the courts, a number of King executives have headed for the exit. Throughout the past year, multiple former King developers in major roles have left the studio to start new studios and joined existing companies. Former Activision Blizzard vice chairman and King Digital Entertainment president, Humam Sakhnini, was named the new CEO of Discord in late April.

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Back in February 2024, former King SVP of business performance Marcus Jacobs joined forces with former EA general manager Adam Schaub to establish Cult of the North, while former King CTO Steve Collins joined Unity as its new chief technology officer in October.