Social games maker Zynga hired DeNA exec Clive Downie as its new chief operating officer, as it looks to gain a stronger foothold in mobile games.

Zynga found huge success in producing games such as Farmville for the Facebook platform, but has struggled to adjust to a consumer shift to mobile gaming.

However, it is in a much better position than a year ago: it recorded a small net loss of $68,000 for the third quarter of 2013, compared to a net loss of $52.7 million for the same quarter in 2012.

The 2012 figure was impacted by a $95.5 million impairment charge related to the acquisition of Draw Something maker OMGPOP.

Although the loss has been significantly lowered across the comparable quarters, revenue for Q3 2013 was also down, at $203 million (a drop of 36 per cent year on year).

“Our teams are working hard to compete more aggressively on the web, move to mobile and develop new hits, and I am happy with the early progress we have made,” Zynga CEO Don Mattick said.

Downie, who starts in his role on 4 November, has 20 years of industry experience in console and free-to-play mobile games and was most recently the CEO of DeNA West.

He oversaw the Mobage West social gaming platform for the US and Europe as well as DeNA’s gaming development division and third-party publishing efforts in these markets. He also spent 15 years at EA.

“As we build new leadership capabilities and focus the company on long term growth, Clive’s customer-centric point of view and proven track record will be invaluable to Zynga’s future,” said Mattrick.

“Zynga’s uniquely positioned inside a growing market to deliver consumers around the world an entertainment experience as beloved as their favourite TV show, movie or music,” Downie added.