Josh Yguado steps down as Jam City leader after 16 years

Josh Yguado has stepped down from Jam City after 16 years at the mobile game company he cofounded. He will be replaced by Simon Sim, a longtime mobile gaming leader who was previously CEO of Kabam and an executive in charge of the U.S. for Netmarble. Yguado made the announcement on LinkedIn. “After 16 years co-founding and building Jam City, I’ve decided it’s the right moment to step down as CEO,” Yguado wrote. He added, “When we started the company, we had a simple idea: build great games that people love and come back to every day. Since then, Jam City has reached over a billion players and generated more than $4 billion in revenue. Along the way, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with incredible teams at Disney, Warner Bros., Apple, Google, and others. Together, we brought games like Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Disney Emoji Blitz, Cookie Jam, and Panda Pop to life.” Yguado said he is proud of what Jam City built and even more proud of the team behind it. “None of this happens without the creativity, drive, and care of the people who made Jam City what it is,” he said. He noted that along the way that Jam City had the chance to support civic and creative initiatives that mattered to the team, from Get Out the Vote efforts to opening offices as LA County voting centers, and partnering with the Wikimedia Foundation on game jams built on open data. Jam City is in a strong position today, with a great pipeline of new titles and a talented leadership team in place. I have a lot of confidence in what comes next for the company. I’ll remain on the board through the transition to support the next chapter. “Jam City has always been personal to me. Even the name was inspired by my love of Parliament’s ‘Chocolate City’ and the idea that we could build something culturally meaningful, but for games,” Yguado wrote. He closed saying, “Thank you to my co-founders, Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb, who helped build this from the beginning and transitioned out in 2023, as well as the many teammates, partners, and players who have been part of this journey.” For his next move, Yguado said, “I’m excited to get back to building. There’s never been a more interesting moment in games, with AI and new platforms opening up entirely new creative possibilities. Excited for what’s next.” Yguado coffounded Jam City in 2010 alongside former MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb. Yguado left Fox in 2009 with them to start Jam City after meeting his cofounders working on the acquisition and integration of MySpace. He helped scale the company into one of the leading mobile entertainment studios globally with a multi-studio global footprint with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Berlin, Toronto, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Yguado was also instrumental in launching and scaling major titles, including Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, which according to Sensor Tower had more than 100 million downloads, $400 million in lifetime revenues, and revenue higher than any other Harry Potter mobile game. Jam City also had a big hit with Cookie Jam, which the research firm said had more than 100 million downloads, more than $500 million in lifetime revenue and was Facebook game of the year. Other award winners included multiple winners at the Webby Awards, Dragon Awards, and Pocket Gamer Awards (e.g., Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, DC Heroes & Villains)Other major owned and published games include Disney Emoji Blitz, Frozen Free Fall, Family Guy: Quest for Stuff, Disney Magic Match, and many others. He was also n amed to the LA Business Journal’s LA500 list of most influential Angelenos in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Yguado was named one of SoCalTech’s “Top 50 Most Influential People.” He serves on boards and is active in leadership communities (e.g., Aspen Institute – Henry Crown Fellowship). And he currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School / Harvard Innovation Labs. Yguado grew up on a ranch in New Mexico, attended Albuquerque Academy for High School and he graduated with honors from Harvard College with an MBA from Harvard Business School. The post Josh Yguado steps down as Jam City leader after 16 years appeared first on GamesBeat.

Apr 30, 2026 - 02:28

Josh Yguado steps down as Jam City leader after 16 years

Josh Yguado has stepped down from Jam City after 16 years at the mobile game company he cofounded.

He will be replaced by Simon Sim, a longtime mobile gaming leader who was previously CEO of Kabam and an executive in charge of the U.S. for Netmarble. Yguado made the announcement on LinkedIn.

“After 16 years co-founding and building Jam City, I’ve decided it’s the right moment to step down as CEO,” Yguado wrote.

He added, “When we started the company, we had a simple idea: build great games that people love and come back to every day. Since then, Jam City has reached over a billion players and generated more than $4 billion in revenue. Along the way, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with incredible teams at Disney, Warner Bros., Apple, Google, and others. Together, we brought games like Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Disney Emoji Blitz, Cookie Jam, and Panda Pop to life.”

Yguado said he is proud of what Jam City built and even more proud of the team behind it.

“None of this happens without the creativity, drive, and care of the people who made Jam City what it is,” he said.

He noted that along the way that Jam City had the chance to support civic and creative initiatives that mattered to the team, from Get Out the Vote efforts to opening offices as LA County voting centers, and partnering with the Wikimedia Foundation on game jams built on open data.

Jam City is in a strong position today, with a great pipeline of new titles and a talented leadership team in place. I have a lot of confidence in what comes next for the company.

I’ll remain on the board through the transition to support the next chapter.

“Jam City has always been personal to me. Even the name was inspired by my love of Parliament’s ‘Chocolate City’ and the idea that we could build something culturally meaningful, but for games,” Yguado wrote.

He closed saying, “Thank you to my co-founders, Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb, who helped build this from the beginning and transitioned out in 2023, as well as the many teammates, partners, and players who have been part of this journey.”

For his next move, Yguado said, “I’m excited to get back to building. There’s never been a more interesting moment in games, with AI and new platforms opening up entirely new creative possibilities. Excited for what’s next.”

Yguado coffounded Jam City in 2010 alongside former MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb. Yguado left Fox in 2009 with them to start Jam City after meeting his cofounders working on the acquisition and integration of MySpace.

He helped scale the company into one of the leading mobile entertainment studios globally with a multi-studio global footprint with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Berlin, Toronto, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

Yguado was also instrumental in launching and scaling major titles, including Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, which according to Sensor Tower had more than 100 million downloads, $400 million in lifetime revenues, and revenue higher than any other Harry Potter mobile game.

Jam City also had a big hit with Cookie Jam, which the research firm said had more than 100 million downloads, more than $500 million in lifetime revenue and was Facebook game of the year.

Other award winners included multiple winners at the Webby Awards, Dragon Awards, and Pocket Gamer Awards (e.g., Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, DC Heroes & Villains)
Other major owned and published games include Disney Emoji Blitz, Frozen Free Fall, Family Guy: Quest for Stuff, Disney Magic Match, and many others.

He was also n amed to the LA Business Journal’s LA500 list of most influential Angelenos in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Yguado was named one of SoCalTech’s “Top 50 Most Influential People.” He serves on boards and is active in leadership communities (e.g., Aspen Institute – Henry Crown Fellowship). And he currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School / Harvard Innovation Labs.

Yguado grew up on a ranch in New Mexico, attended Albuquerque Academy for High School and he graduated with honors from Harvard College with an MBA from Harvard Business School.

The post Josh Yguado steps down as Jam City leader after 16 years appeared first on GamesBeat.

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