Developer Yomego announced that it is appointing Steve Richards, former managing director and co-founder of advertising firm Swordfish, as managing director. Richard joined the studio as business director in June, but the company is now splitting into two distinct trading operations, according to a report from marketing news site mad.co.uk.

Yomego enables companies to "build interactive communities around their brands and businesses" with virtual worlds, social networks, and user-generated content. The company will reportedly rebrand its technology arm as a retailer of its core social networking platform for companies to use as a white label product.

Most recently, Yomego worked with MTV UK to develop MTV House, flash-based virtual world targeted at younger users and designed to provide exclusive MTV content. Its client list also includes GMTV, BBC, Vodafone, and several other high-profile companies.

Said Richards: “It’s not good enough anymore for a brand to customise a page of MySpace. As consumers become more savvy, they expect their favourite brands to push the boundaries. Bespoke social media applications give brands the power to build their own playgrounds and learn from the way customers enjoy themselves.”