SNK Corporation has named former Sega and Zynga Japan president Kenji Matsubara as its new CEO.
The Japanese game company, best known for working on the Metal Slug and Samurai Showdown franchises, said it wants to aim for “further growth and an increase in corporate value” under Matsubara’s leadership.
The incoming CEO will officially step into the role on August 1, 2021, and previously served as COO, CPO, and president of Sega. Prior to that, Matsubara worked as CEO and president of Zynga Japan, and also served as president and representative director at at Koei Tecmo.
The news comes less than a year after the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, bought a controlling stake in SNK through his ‘Misk’ charity. The deal proved rather controversial given Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record, and Misk itself has also been linked to scandals including assassination and espionage attempts.