In a company-wide communication, Zhan Zhonghui, the head of Lingxi Games at Alibaba, announced his intention to step down along with two other executives by the end of March. Zhou Bingshu, an experienced game producer, is poised to assume the role of head of Lingxi Games.

With Zhou in his mid-thirties and Zhan nearing 50 years of age, this transition signifies a shift towards younger leadership within the gaming industry. Reuters reports that the decision to step down was made to allow the younger management team to flourish.

Alibaba, the parent company, has prioritized promoting individuals born after 1985 to management positions. This strategic approach aims to maintain a startup mentality within the tech giant and prevent stagnation.

Lingxi Games gained prominence with its mobile hit "Three Kingdom Tactics," generating over $1 billion in revenue within its initial two years, as reported by SensorTower. Founded by Zhonghui following his tenure at NetEase, the company was acquired by Alibaba in 2017 and rebranded as Lingxi Games.

As part of a broader restructuring initiative, Alibaba has adopted a holding company management model and segmented its business into six primary units, per Reuters. Additionally, leadership changes have occurred within Alibaba's domestic e-commerce, cloud, and local services divisions over the past year.

Source: adapted from an article by Isa Muhammad, Staff Writer for PocketGamer.biz.