Well if we said we saw this one coming we'd be big, dirty liars; Peter Moore, Xbox boss,has resigned from his position as corporate VP of interactive entertainment.
Don Mattrick, former president at Electronic Arts and external advisor to Microsoft's entertainment division, will take over as head of the Xbox business. Mattrick brings 23 years of industry experience to the Xbox biz, including work on The Sims, Need for Speed and Harry Potter franchises, before he left EA in 2006.
Moore says the reason for his resignation is so that he can return to San Francisco Bay and be with his family, where he'll been heading back in Mattrick's direction to become president of EA Sports, which isn't a surprising move considering his long-flaunted love for soccer.
"Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go," said Robbie Bach, Microsoft's E&DD president. "Since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console's ascent."
While Peter will certainly be missed, we are delighted to have one of the industry's most talented and passionate veterans on board to lead the business," Bach said. "Don is well-known and respected throughout the industry for his deep knowledge, technical expertise and management savvy."
Speaking to Kotaku, Bach was quick to make clear that Moore's resignation had nothing to do with the recent Xbox 360 warranty extension. "This decision was directly related to him wanting to be in California," he said.
"He was in California when we hired him, his kids grew up there... and it's where he and his family wants and needs to be right now. I think it's sometimes a tendency to think, 'oh gosh, it's something else,' but there isn't any other reason."
EA confirmed Moore's job move this evening, which comes in the wake of the company's reorganization into four separate labels (EA Games, EA Casual, The Sims and EA Sports).
Peter Moore said of the move: "The people at EA SPORTS have created one of the strongest brands in the entertainment industry and John Riccitiello is building an organization which will extend the company's leadership to new platforms and new audiences all over the world."
I couldn't be more excited about joining EA and moving my family back to the San Francisco Bay Area."
His distinctive half-American, half-British accent and spontaneous tattoos will be missed. Going by Moore's own company hopping background (until 2003 he was president of Sega of America), we don't think Mattrick's arrival will have too much effect on the Xbox business. We just hope he's half the showman Pete was.
July 18, 2007
