Stillfront Appoints Former King Executive Marcus Jacobs as CEO

Stillfront Group has named Marcus Jacobs as its new president and Group CEO, effective November 1st, 2026, succeeding Alexis Bonte after a refocusing effort that Bonte says has been delivered.

The appointment returns a familiar figure to the Swedish mobile-first games group. Jacobs served on Stillfront's Board of Directors from 2022 to 2026, so he joins the executive seat with four years of direct governance experience at the company he will now run.

Who is Marcus Jacobs?

Jacobs brings more than 25 years of industry experience to the role. His career path traces some of the largest names in free-to-play gaming.

• Electronic Arts: director of monetisation before departing for King in 2012.
• King: seven years on the executive management team of the Candy Crush franchise, the studio's flagship match-three (tile-matching puzzle) property.
• Embark Studios: chief commercial officer from 2020 to 2022.
• Independent studio: co-founder and chief product officer from 2022 to 2025.

That résumé pairs deep live-operations and monetisation expertise — the disciplines that drive revenue in free-to-play franchises — with recent founder-level product leadership. Stillfront's portfolio, which spans long-running browser and mobile titles, depends heavily on exactly those disciplines.

The board tenure is the connecting thread: Jacobs has spent the past four years inside the company's strategic decision-making while Bonte executed the group-wide refocus.

What changes at the top?

Bonte will remain president and Group CEO until the handover on November 1st, 2026, ensuring an orderly transition rather than an abrupt exit. He has led Stillfront since 2017, meaning the company is closing out a nine-year chapter under his leadership.

Bonte framed the change as the completion of a deliberate restructuring. "Stillfront has been my home since 2017," he said. "Two years ago we set out to refocus the Group around its key franchises, and the team has delivered that."

He added: "I am proud of what they have built and grateful to every one of them. Marcus knows this company well, and I wish him every success."

For Stillfront's studios and central teams, the immediate implication is continuity: an incoming CEO who already knows the group's structure, franchises and management, arriving after the refocusing work is done rather than during it.

What did Jacobs say about his mandate?

The incoming chief executive set out his read of the business in unambiguous terms, pointing to cash flow and franchise longevity as the assets he intends to build on.

"I am delighted to take on the role of CEO at Stillfront," Jacobs said. "The company has long-lived franchises with loyal player communities, strong cash generation and talented teams around the world."

He continued: "I look forward to working with the management team and colleagues across our studios to grow our franchises, and create long-term value for our players and shareholders."

The phrasing signals an operational agenda centered on franchise growth and shareholder value rather than portfolio expansion — consistent with the two-year refocusing program Bonte initiated.

In short, Stillfront has chosen an insider with Candy Crush-scale live-ops pedigree to lead its next phase.

The date to watch is November 1st, 2026, when Jacobs formally takes the reins and his first capital-allocation and studio decisions begin to reveal whether the refocused portfolio can accelerate growth.