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Neil Young leaves EA

Blueprint boss leaves the publisher to "manage his own company"

EA veteran Neil Young has left the company to "manage his own company," according to a leaked internal email from EA Games label president Frank Gibeau.

Young had previously worked on The Sims 2, before being promoted to VP and general manager of EA Los Angeles - where he oversaw the production of titles including Medal of Honor Airborne and Boom Blox. He then took charge of EA Blueprint, the publisher's attempt to champion new intellectual property.

The email, reprinted by Newsweek, specifies that Young's responsibilities at Blueprint will be taken over by Louis Castle, while Lucy Bradshaw will now head up Maxis, and Mike Verdu will look after EA Los Angeles.

"Neil Young has decided to leave EA to manage his own company," Gibeau wrote. "Neil is an 11-year EA veteran who has created a lot of great games and many good friendships at EA. We wish him the very best on his new project. Neil will always be welcome at EA."