King is a video game developer best known for creating highly popular mobile puzzle games that reach hundreds of millions of players worldwide. The company became a global leader in mobile gaming through its flagship franchise Candy Crush Saga and other casual games.
Founded: 2003
Founders: Riccardo Zacconi, Toby Rowland, Melvyn Morris, Sebastian Knutsson, Thomas Hartwig
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Industry: Video Games / Mobile Gaming
Notable Info: King was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2016 and is responsible for one of the most successful mobile gaming franchises in history, the Candy Crush series.
Japan Market Entry & General Manager Search
As a global leader in mobile gaming and the creator of Candy Crush Saga, King sought to establish a strong presence in Japan, one of the world’s most competitive gaming markets. To support this expansion, we partnered with King to identify and appoint a General Manager capable of launching the company’s Japan office and leading its long-term market strategy.
Challenges
Difficulty Identifying the Right Leader: King interviewed over sixty candidates for more than a year but struggled to find a General Manager.
Closed and Complex Gaming Market: Japan’s gaming industry is tight knit and relationship-driven, making it difficult for international companies to access leadership talent.
Limited Access to Passive Talent: Many qualified candidates were not actively seeking roles or visible online, requiring a more targeted search approach.
Outcomes
Successful General Manager Placement: The search resulted in the appointment of a leader to establish and run King’s Japan operations.
Breakthrough Market Growth: Candy Crush Saga rose to the No.1 position on Japan’s iOS App Store following a major marketing campaign.
Sustained Market Performance: The game maintained a top-50 grossing position across major mobile platforms in Japan.
The Challenge
King initially conducted its search from London, meeting more than sixty candidates over the course of a year without finding the right leader to establish the company’s Japan operations. The challenge was compounded by the unique nature of Japan’s gaming ecosystem, which is highly domestic, relationship-driven, and shaped by cultural nuances that can be difficult for global companies to navigate.
Additionally, many of the most qualified leaders were passive candidates who were not actively exploring new roles or easily identifiable through traditional search channels. Successfully identifying and engaging these individuals required a more localized and strategic approach.
The Approach
Recognizing the importance of securing the right leadership, we conducted a targeted executive search tailored to the structure of Japan’s gaming industry. Our work began with a comprehensive mapping of the local gaming talent landscape, enabling King’s global stakeholders to better understand the market and refine the leadership profile required for success.
We then localized King’s employer value proposition to resonate with senior Japanese executives and conducted highly personalized outreach to engage potential candidates. Through detailed consultations and structured evaluation, we developed a curated shortlist of leaders with the strategic marketing expertise and operational leadership necessary to launch and scale the business.
Final candidates traveled to London to meet with King’s global leadership team, culminating in the successful appointment of a General Manager to lead the company’s Japan operations.
The Outcome
Following the appointment of the new General Manager and the launch of localized marketing initiatives, Candy Crush Saga achieved significant success in the Japanese market. The game rose from outside the top 100 to become the most downloaded iOS app in Japan shortly after the launch of a major television advertising campaign.
The title also reached the number two position on Google Play and climbed as high as number three on the Japanese iPhone download charts. Since its launch, Candy Crush has maintained a top-50 grossing position across iPhone, iPad, and Google Play platforms in Japan, demonstrating the effectiveness of localized leadership and marketing strategy in a highly competitive mobile gaming market.