EA promotes Moore, Gibeau, Cottle
BioWare becomes fourth label for publisher as it switches from "defence to offence"
Electronic Arts has shuffled its executive pack, promoting senior figures and turning BioWare into its own publishing label.
Former EA Sports president Peter Moore is now chief operating officer, filling the gap left by John Schappert who left the company to join Zynga.
Frank Gibeau now becomes head of president of all EA Labels, putting in charge of EA Games, EA Sports, EA Play and BioWare divisions.
And as the company now boasts a $800 million digital business, Barry Cottle has been promoted to head of EA Interactive, responsible for Playfish, Pogo, EA Mobile, Hasbro, PopCap and the online and mobile business in Asia.
"It’s a great reflection on EA that we are able to tap so much world-class leadership from within our own ranks. The depth of talent and leadership in this company is inspiring," said CEO John Riccitiello.
"As I look across EA and back on its history, I come to an important realisation. The people who succeed here are the ones who map their creative vision over a deep understanding of what our consumers want. Our Label structure reflects that strategy. It creates a close partnership between developers and product marketers that connects the creative process to our consumers."
The shake-up is the first at EA since establishing the label structure in 2007. "Now, we are switching from defence to offence," added Riccitiello. "We’re focusing on building our intellectual properties/franchises into year-round business. We’ve established our own platform, Origin, and we continue to grow our digital business."