Mark Skaggs, creator of popular social game FarmVille, has stepped down as vice president of Zynga.

Skaggs has been with the company since its foundation and has overseen the development of a range of projects, most recently the Empires and Aliens strategy game.

“We are appreciative and thankful for the player-focused passion and creativity Mark has infused in Zynga teams and projects over the years,” Zynga chief executive officer Mark Pincus said in a statement issued to GamesIndustry International.