Mass exodus at Zynga rumoured as two VPs reportedly jump ship

A matter of days after former CCO Mike Verdu left to form his own start up, Zygna is reportedly waving goodbye to two other key figures.

Bloomberg claims vice presidents Bill Mooney and Brian Birtwistle have both left the social gaming giant, with the site claiming "slowing sales and a stock decline" are to blame for what's being pitched as a mass exodus from the company.

Shedding old skin

Mooney was previously general manager on FarmVille, while Birtwistle was Zynga's VP of marketing. Bloomberg makes no comment as to where both parties may be headed now, however.

There's also been no official word from Zynga itself, but Bloomberg claims a "person with knowledge of the matter" has confirmed both departures, with Mooney and Birtwistle apparently leaving despite efforts by CEO Mark Pincus to keep key staff on board.

Pincus recently revealed employees would receive option grants in a bid to make up the difference following a 71 percent fall in Zynga's shares after its IPO back in December.

Indeed, it's likely both departures if true will be treated as the typical shedding of old skin by Zynga, with director Bing Gordon telling Bloomberg that Pincus "wants to go the distance", but that "not everybody stays with him."

Supporters will also note that Zynga was also quick to invest Verdu's new company, nullifying any notion of bad blood between higher ups at the firm.

[source: Bloomberg]