Schappert replaces John Pleasants, who is moving on to become the chief executive of Mountain View, California-based Playdom, a social-game developer.
The superstar returns
Schappert returns to Electronic Arts (EA) after he left to join Microsoft Inc’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) interactive entertainment business in the capacity of corporate vice president in the year 2007.
At that time, Schappert was the chief operating officer (COO) of Electronic Arts handling worldwide studios with a team of over 5,000 developers under him. He now gets a whopping one-time joining bonus of $1 million to resume his old title as EA's COO.
Jeff Brown, a spokesman for EA said of Schappert’s return, “We think John Schappert is a superstar, and we're ecstatic to have him back."
Chief executive officer of EA, John Riccitiello, acknowledged that Schappert would be a prized possession for the organization, “His years of experience with EA and in Microsoft’s Xbox business, provide him great insight into recognizing what consumers want”
Schappert added few more feathers in his cap during his stint with Microsoft. He was instrumental in creating the LIVE Software Division of the software behemoth.
When he took charge of Microsoft Game Studios and Xbox LIVE, the latter's customer base skyrocketed from 6 million members to an astounding 20 million members.
About EA
Electronic Arts is the second-largest video-game publisher after Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI).
Founded by Trip Hawkins in 1982, EA soon led the way after entering home computer games industry. The company distinguished itself by endorsing budding designers and programmers of video games.
During the late 90,s, EA grew by leaps and bounds by acquiring several successful developers.
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