Jagex names Phil Mansell as acting CEO following Rod Cousens departure

Phil Mansell has become COO and acting CEO of Jagex.

He was previously the VP of Studios at the Runescape maker. He takes up the role following the departure of CEO Rod Cousens.

Mansell is an 18-year games industry veteran with stints at Bullfrog, EA, Sony and Climax in various lead game designer roles. He joined Jagex in 2011 as a lead designer and has risen through the ranks to head the studio. He has been credited for encouraging a resurgence in player growth for Runescape and the Old School version of the game, which helped the developer post record financial results last year.

Former CEO Rod Cousens joined Jagex just under two years ago following a 12-year stint at Codemasters. No reason for his departure was given.

In September last year, Jagex was acquired by a group of Chinese investors and became the core part of a new publicly-listed Chinese games business called Zhongji Holding.

"Driven by a passion for creativity, our teams are focussed on what really matters for the core business - supporting our live titles and their huge communities and leading the creation of new games for multiple devices," said Mansell. "Off the back of record financial performance, Jagex is in an incredibly fortunate and positive position. We have become stronger with every year that passes and now that we are united with our parent company, ZhongJi Holding, it is both an honour and a privilege to be take Jagex to its next stage."

Jagex's current strategy is focused on expanding the Runescape franchise, with new games based on the IP and expansions to the existing titles.