MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., AviaGames, the global leader in mobile, social competitive gaming, today announced that it has added the former president and CEO of Glu Mobile Inc. Nick Earl as a Senior Advisor to provide strategic guidance and support to the company’s ongoing expansion strategy. Earl brings nearly 30 years of game industry and leadership expertise to the AviaGames team as it ramps for continued growth and expansion of its Pocket7Games’ all-in-one mobile gaming platform.
“Earl’s leadership and gaming development experience augments the AviaGames‘ team at an integral time in the company’s growth,” said Vickie Chen, CEO and founder, AviaGames. “Tapping into Earl’s expertise provides a vital perspective as we navigate the unprecedented growth of the mobile gaming landscape.”
Earl joined Glu Mobile in 2015 from Kabam Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc., helping oversee EA’s purchase of Glu for $2.4 billion in 2021 – the seventh largest acquisition in video gaming history. At Kabam, Earl was President of Worldwide Studios, presiding over leading titles including, “Marvel: Contest of Champions.” At EA, Earl served as SVP of EA Mobile, overseeing hit titles, “The Simpsons: Tapped Out,” “The Sims FreePlay,” and “Real Racing 3.” Prior to EA Mobile, Earl was SVP of EA Games launching console and PC franchises including, “Knockout Kings,” “James Bond,” “Tiger Woods PGA Tour,” “The Godfather,” “The Sims,” “The Simpsons,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Dead Space.” Nick holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Earl will advise AviaGames on business strategy, product and game content strategy, along with game portfolio management and game studio management for the all-in-one Pocket7Games’ social competition platform. In addition, Earl will work closely with the executive team on talent acquisition and industry and partnership alliances.
“I am beyond thrilled to join the AviaGames’ team, playing a role in the company’s next phase of growth,” said Earl. “AviaGames is uniquely positioned to advance casual mobile gaming through the continued development of its Pocket7Games’ technology platform and unique approach to social competition that allows a diverse set of players to have fun playing the games they love and win cash prizes.”
AviaGames is in a period of hyper growth in the U.S. mobile gaming market with its social competitive gaming platform, surpassing an install base of more than 10 million users. With over one billion tournaments hosted, AviaGames has awarded more than $714 million in cash prizes to its players while topping mobile gaming charts. In addition, developed in-house by the AviaGames team, its popular “Solitaire Clash” and “Bingo Tour ” titles recently launched in the UK, expanding the Pocket7Games portfolio outside of the U.S.
About AviaGames, Inc.
Founded in 2017 by Vickie Chen and Ping Wang, AviaGames is a mobile, skill-based gaming company and publisher of Pocket7Games, a unified gaming platform. The platform features 15+ unique games linked to a single membership and wallet, allowing players to seamlessly switch among casino, puzzle, action, card, math and brain games. AviaGames is committed to providing an inclusive competition platform where everyone can play, make money, and have fun. To date, AviaGames has awarded more than $714 million in cash prizes to its players. Select titles are available as individual apps for download, including Bingo Clash, Bingo Tour, Cooking Clash, 21 Gold, Yatzy Craze, and Match ‘n Flip.
The next phase
With over two decades of experience in business development, product strategy, and M&A, Lu will take on the role of head of content and business partnerships. Lu previously held various positions across the games industry including Cheetah Mobile, AppLovin, Facebook, Tencent, and PopCap.
At AviaGames, Lu will oversee the company’s content and business partnership strategies as well as other strategic initiatives focused on the growth of its Pocket7Games product portfolio.
Lu commented: “I am pleased to join the AviaGames team and contribute to the development of and community adoption of social competition mobile gaming. It’s an exciting time for the mobile gaming landscape and I am eager to be a part of the development of AviaGames partner and content ecosystem.”
AviaGames founder and CEO Vickie Chen added: “Mr. Leichtner and Mr. Lu bring a breadth of invaluable, specialised expertise and knowledge that is vital to the long-term success of AviaGames.”
“Mr. Leichtner and Mr. Lu are joining the team at a pivotal time and will play instrumental roles in the growth trajectory of Pocket7Games as the leading social competition mobile gaming platform.”
Last month, AviaGames announced that it will begin its global expansion, starting with bringing two of its titles, Solitaire Clash and Bingo Tour, to the UK App Store.
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