February 26, 2007

Electronic Arts Gets New CEO

Electronic Arts announced today that John Riccitiello will become its new CEO. John was formerly the COO and President of EA before he left to co-found the Elevation Partners investment firm. Elevation had recently acquired both Bioware and Pandemic. The current CEO, Larry Probst, will remain as executive chairman of the board of directors.

I met Larry a few years ago. He's by far the most successful CEO in the history of videogames bringing EA out of Trip Hawkins' hands to the dominant force it is today after 16 years. Unlike many other executives in the industry, Larry truly knew his stuff and was a strategic visionary. He should be celebrated for all that he has done for the industry over the years. I've criticized EA for losing its way recently, but still recognize what Larry has done over his career. [Discuss]