EA's CEO Larry Probst stepping down in April

Interesting news from Electronic Arts today as Larry Probst is stepping down as CEO in April. Here are a couple blurbs from this article. It'll be interesting to see what impact this may have on EA's lineup.

SAN FRANCISCO (Marketwatch) - Electronic Arts Inc. named a new chief executive officer Monday - making the first new CEO for the video game publisher in 16 years.

In a statement issued after the closing bell, the Redwood City, Calif.-based company (ERTS : Electronic Arts Inc ERTS 52.52, +0.56, +1.1%) named John Riccitiello to the CEO post. The appointment is effective on April 2. Riccitiello will also take a seat on the board of directors.
He replaces Larry Probst, a long-time EA employee who has been serving in the top slot since 1991. The 56-year-old Probst will retain his position as chairman of the company's board.

Riccitiello himself has a history with EA. He served as president and chief operating officer from 1997 to 2004, when he left the company to form venture capital outfit Elevation Partners with a group of investors that included rock singer Bono of the band U2.

He served as managing partner at Elevation, where he also oversaw the firm's video game business, according to EA's statement.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...

Of course, it's pure coincidence that EA got to pick up Pandemic's Mercenaries 2.

According to this, the analyst speculation is that this guy is going to go on an acquisition bender and that EA may even be eying buying out the rest of Ubisoft or targeting Take-Two or THQ. I generally think analysts talk out of their arses most of the time and are never called to task when they're wrong but I could see this happening with EA's cash stock from the yearly crap people keep buying. If they take over any of these three publishers, we should all commit ritual suicide by the way.

This isn't because I sent an e-mail complaining about the red-tag bug in Battlefield 2, right? It's not like I wanted the guy to lose his job over it.

Funkenpants wrote:

This isn't because I sent an e-mail complaining about the red-tag bug in Battlefield 2, right? It's not like I wanted the guy to lose his job over it.

No, that one only made them shut down Trauma Studios.

Didn't Elevation Partners become the boss of Bioware? This could be an interesting twist.

To judge by their HR benefits for new hires, Satan has relinquished his 51% control of EA. Would this be a topic subject anyone would find... stimulating?

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

According to this, the analyst speculation is that this guy is going to go on an acquisition bender and that EA may even be eying buying out the rest of Ubisoft or targeting Take-Two or THQ. I generally think analysts talk out of their arses most of the time and are never called to task when they're wrong but I could see this happening with EA's cash stock from the yearly crap people keep buying. If they take over any of these three publishers, we should all commit ritual suicide by the way.

If EA gains that much more control over the industry, I'd bet money we're heading to another Atari-style industry crash.

Yes! My Boycott worked!

Mex wrote:

Yes! My Boycott worked!

I've still been maintaining my EA new purchase boycott. I don't know that I'd say it worked yet though (see my previous post).

You're still hilarious though.

Farscry wrote:

If EA gains that much more control over the industry, I'd bet money we're heading to another Atari-style industry crash.

If the NFL disappears and people stop buying Madden.. then sure.

Otherwise? Not so much.