Former EA Easy studio head Ben Cousins has joined ngmoco in a move designed to boost the company's output on its new social platform Mobage.

As detailed via posts made on Twitter, Cousins will take charge of a new ngmoco studio based in Stockholm, becoming general manager. 

Going social in Stockholm

"In my new role I'll be building a brand new studio in Stockholm to create freemium games for mobile platforms like iOS/Android," said Cousins.

"Like the team at ngmoco, I believe freemium games on new devices like smartphones and tablets represent the future of gaming. These platforms are bringing hundreds of millions of new gamers into the fold, and at the same time existing core gamers are discovering the innovation, immersion and connectivity they bring.

"I'm excited to participate in helping shape what we believe is the future of games."

Cousins, who previously worked at Sony London and DICE, went on to describe DeNA as a huge force in freemium gaming on mobile, pegging its size as 80 percent bigger than EA based on market cap.

His move is the latest in a chain of steps taken by DeNA to increase its presence in the west, having purchased ngmoco for $403 million last October.

[source: GamesIndustry.biz]