DeNA West appoints new CEO as Clive Downie resigns
Former CFO Shintaro Asako stepped up to the role on October 21
DeNA has appointed Shintaro Asako as CEO of its western business, after former CEO Clive Downie stepped down from the role.
Asako, who was previously the CFO of DeNA West, started in his new role on October 21. Clive Downie resigned his position, though no explanation was given for the decision.
Certainly, DeNA's once meteoric growth has started to slow. In the fiscal quarter ended June 30 2013, the company's operating and net profit declined over the prior year - by 7.6 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively, versus 22.4 per cent and 21.8 per cent growth the year before that.
Revenue actually rose by 9.6 per cent year-on-year, but that is nevertheless far from the pace of the prior year quarter, which showed growth of 37.4 per cent.
In May, DeNA closed down five games on its Mobage mobile network, including a version of the iOS hit Infinity Blade. That followed the closure of presumably expensive games from AAA talent like Keiji Inafune and Suda 51.