King Loses Two Veteran Leaders and Gains a President After Microsoft Merger

King, the mobile gaming subsidiary of Activision Blizzard and the creator of Candy Crush, has appointed Tjodolf Sommestad as its new President.

Sommestad will take over from Humam Sakhnini, who is stepping down from the London-based company at the end of March to return to the U.S. with his family.

However, Sakhnini isn’t the only executive departing the company in the weeks after Microsoft’s game-changing acquisition of Activision Blizzard. King has also lost its co-founder, Sebastian Knutsson, who has stepped down as the game studio’s Chief Creative Officer to focus on personal and charitable work.

In the company’s announcement, Knutsson said, “From our humble start-up beginnings 19 years ago to today, I have been proud of the fun we've delivered players through a focus on creativity and innovation,” and added that he “will continue to cheer on King from the sidelines.”

Sommestad is no stranger to the game studio and has worked at King for more than a decade. Most recently, he worked as the company’s Chief Development Officer, where he led studio and technology teams. Before that, he was the SVP in charge of the company’s flagship Candy Crush franchise.

“Tjodolf is an exceptional leader who has played a central role in driving the continued growth and development of our mobile games’ franchises,” Activision Blizzard President and COO Daniel Alegre said in a press release. “He brings a wealth of experience in innovation, technology, and games development. Working alongside an expanded leadership team, I am confident King will be able to sustain its growth while serving its player community with the enduring delight of its games.”

The leadership revamp comes on the back of King’s fourth-quarter earnings report, in which it achieved over $1 billion annual operating income and a record number of in-game net bookings, driven by Candy Crush.

Sommestad added, “After breaking revenue records in 2021, we expect to build on this momentum through a continued focus on building playful player experiences across our live franchises, so we can continue to delight our players and make the world more playful. Thanks to Humam’s leadership and the fantastic work and dedication of our teams, the business is in a position of financial and creative strength, setting the stage for King’s next level of growth.”

When King officially joins the Microsoft corporate family, it could gain access to a host of new resources, including intellectual property owned by other subsidiaries like Minecraft maker Mojang. These assets could be used to create themed editions of King’s classic games, like a version of Candy Crush where Minecraft objects replace the titular candy, for instance.