NaturalMotion nabs EA Playfish veteran to head London studio

Newsbrief: NaturalMotion Games has reportedly hired Dan Borthwick, formerly common technology lead at Electronic Arts' social game subsidiary Playfish, to lead its mobile-focused studio in London. Borthwick is the latest in a string of social game veterans who have recently departed from EA, including Playfish's former London headquarters GM and VP John Earner, Playfish CTO Sami Lababidi, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle, and EA Interactive VP Sebastien de Halleux. One of the founding developers for Playfish, Borthwick will oversee the London studio's efforts producing free-to-play iPhone and Android titles, according to a report from UK trade site Develop. Its previous releases include My Horse, Jenga, and the Backbreaker series.