Videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc. on Thursday said chief financial and chief operating officer Blake Jorgensen plans to leave the company in the summer of next year and named Laura Miele to replace him as COO.
EA is one of the largest U.S. videogame publishers by market value and is best known for its Battlefield, FIFA and Sims franchises. The company has recently made several acquisitions of developer studios including Glu Mobile Inc., maker of “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” and Playdemic Ltd., the creator of “Golf Clash.”
Mr. Jorgensen has served as EA’s finance chief since September 2012 and as operating chief since April 2018. Before joining the videogame company, he was finance chief at Levi Strauss & Co. and Yahoo Inc.
“Blake has been an incredible partner, advisor and dear friend,” Andrew Wilson, chairman and chief executive of EA, said in a statement. “His expertise and the team he has built have been instrumental to our growth and financial achievements, and his leadership has set us on the successful path we are on today.”
Ms. Miele was named chief studios officer at EA in 2018 and previously held other positions at the Redwood City, Calif.-based company, including executive vice president of global publishing, and also led EA’s partnership with Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm Ltd. for content and games within the Star Wars brand.
EA said it would begin a search for a new CFO immediately and that Mr. Jorgensen would help in that effort and with the newcomer’s transition to the company.
EA along with its peers has benefited from pandemic lockdowns. Last year, the company reported its strongest June quarter sales in its 38-year history. But the health crisis has also hampered EA’s production flow. Most recently it delayed by a month the launch of its next big release for the holiday season, “Battlefield 2042,” citing work-from-home challenges.
EA also named Chris Bruzzo, until now the company’s executive vice president of marketing, commercial and positive play, as chief experience officer, tasked with building social ecosystems in EA games.
—Nina Trentmann contributed to this article.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at [email protected] and Jeffrey T. Lewis at [email protected]
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