Peter Moore to Leave Microsoft to Head EA Sports

July 17, 2007 | By: James Brightman

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GameDaily BIZ has confirmed with a well placed industry source that Peter Moore is leaving his position as the head of interactive entertainment for MS. We have also learned that he will be replaced by former EA exec Don Mattrick. [Update: EA has confirmed Peter Moore appointment, MS confirms departure]

As was first reported by gaming blog Kotaku, Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft, is leaving the company to take a position as the head of EA Sports (one of EA's four labels under the company's recent reorganization). When EA first made its announcement about its restructuring, the company specifically said, "EA Executive Vice President Joel Linzner will oversee this group until a president of EA Sports is announced." Looks like EA found their man.

Kotaku first reported this as rumor (and indeed, neither EA nor MS confirmed Moore's move initially), but GameDaily BIZ heard from a high-level industry source this afternoon that this is indeed happening. Our source also indicated that Don Mattrick, the former president of EA Worldwide who earlier this year joined Microsoft as an external advisor for its Entertainment and Devices division, would be replacing Moore.

On its face, Moore leaving the Xbox business to head up the sports division for EA would seem like a weird choice or a step down. But as Kotaku points out, Moore is a pretty big sports fan and he did run the sports business at Reebok for a time. He's also developed a great relationship with EA over the years as he's helped to solidify EA's presence on the Xbox and Xbox 360.

Moore joined Microsoft in January 2003, coming from Sega of America where he was president and COO. Moore oversaw the launch of the beloved (in the hardcore gamer community) Dreamcast console and he also played a large role in transitioning Sega from console maker to platform agnostic software publisher. More recently with Microsoft, he's helped forge important development relationships with Japanese developers such as Hironobu Sakaguchi (Mistwalker), Yoshiki Okamoto (Game Republic) and Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Q Entertainment).

EA has not returned our request for comment yet, but a Microsoft spokesperson told GameDaily BIZ, "We have no comment at this time." (Interestingly, this is not the usual "we do not comment on rumor or speculation" quote.)

We'll bring you more (hopefully official) word as soon as we get it.

[UPDATE] EA has now made it official. Peter Moore will begin at EA in September and will report to EA CEO John Riccitiello.

"Peter Moore's proven record of leadership in games and sports makes him a terrific fit for heading up EA SPORTS," said Riccitiello. "As a partner at Microsoft and earlier, as a competitor, we've learned to respect his vision and leadership."

"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," said Peter Moore. "I couldn't be more excited about joining EA and moving my family back to the San Francisco Bay Area."

With Moore at the helm, EA Sports said it "plans to expand the EA SPORTS experience with new content, new platforms, new services and deep online integration."

[UPDATE 2] Now Microsoft has issued its own official announcement confirming our story. "Peter Moore, who currently serves as corporate vice president of IEB, has decided to move his family back to the Bay Area for personal reasons and has secured another opportunity in the video games industry," said the release.

"Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go," said Robbie Bach, president of Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "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."

As we reported, Don Mattrick will take over for Moore. Mattrick's new position becomes effective on July 30.

"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. Under Don's leadership, the games team is looking forward to embarking on our biggest holiday ever, with a wide-ranging roster of some of the most highly anticipated titles."

"Over the past two decades, and the past few months in particular, I've worked closely with many of Microsoft's top leaders and I've always been impressed by their talent, passion and commitment," commented Mattrick. "I'm thrilled to join an already strong team that's delivering truly amazing gaming experiences to customers around the world. I've never been more excited about the future of the industry, and firmly believe Microsoft will lead the next great innovations in gaming."

[UPDATE 3] Our friends at Joystiq spoke with Robbie Bach and Don Mattrick about the news. Bach said Moore's decision to leave had nothing to do with the Xbox business not being profitable yet or the recent hardware and warranty issues with 360. Check out Joystiq's piece for more.