Publisher Electronic Arts has announced that the company is set to organize itself into four distinct 'labels' to operate with dedicated studio and publishing teams, to "streamline decision-making, improve global focus, and speed new ideas to the market."
The first of the 'labels', The Sims, will be led by president Nancy Smith. EA says the company "created the model on which the new organization is built." The forthcoming games MySims, for Wii and DS, SimCity Societies, The Sims Castaway Stories and more will fall under this label.
The EA Games label will be led by president Frank Gibeau, and will include many of the publisher's core properties, including Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, SPORE, Battlefield, Burnout, Command & Conquer, The Simpsons and more, and will be home to the EA Partners publishing business.
EA Casual Entertainment will be led by president Kathy Vrabeck, and will focus on "lighter, more accessible games for families and new consumers," including Harry Potter, Boogie and the EA Mobile and online portal Pogo.com groups.
Finally, what it calls "the strongest brand in interactive entertainment," the EA Sports label will be headed by company executive vice president Joel Linzner until a permanent president can be found. The group oversees Madden NFL, NBA Live, FIFA Soccer, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR, NHL Hockey and NASCAR.
EA has also announced that two new groups will be formed, Central Development Services and Global Publishing. The former will be led by EVP John Schappert and will include, says the company "leadership on technology, operations, EA’s online platform, and the office of the Chief Creative Officer."
The Global Publishing wing will be "responsible for strategic planning, field marketing, sales and distribution in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America."
Said EA CEO John Riccitiello, “This transition will be implemented over the course of the coming months. EA is privileged to have a deep bench of proven talent and our new structure encourages people to bring great ideas into the market more quickly. There will be more games and services for core consumers and new gamers and better focus on operational efficiency.”
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