You may not have realized this, but EA, one of the biggest publishers in the video game industry, has been in search of a new chief executive officer for the last six months, following the resignation of its previous CEO, John Riccitiello, back in March. Now that search is apparently over.
Former executive vice president of EA Sports and Origin, Andrew Wilson, has been pegged for the role. The announcement was made via a blog post on EA's website, wherein Wilson expresses his deep gratitude and admiration for the company, and makes a few statements about his confidence in EA's current direction.
I envision EA as the World’s Greatest Games Company. This is not about what we are aiming for or what we will become. Rather, it is about an unfaltering commitment to what we will be every day. This is an attitude that must drive our culture as one team.
I also believe EA’s strategy is sound. Our focus on our talent, our brands and our platform together with our investment in next-generation consoles, mobile and PC free-to-play, as part of our ongoing transition to digital, is right. But we have plenty of work ahead to ensure our collective success.
In the short term, our mission is crystal clear: We are 100 percent focused on delivering our FY14 business plan. We have made strong progress in the first half of the fiscal year, establishing financial discipline and continuing to create a slate of fantastic games for current and next-generation consoles, mobile and PC. But now we’ve got to finish the job – execute in Q3 and Q4 and deliver on the promises we made to our fans and our shareholders.
Wilson, 39, has been with EA for 13 years. He immediately replaces Larry Probst, who had been sitting in as acting CEO since Riccitiello's departure.