The sports gaming world was thrown for a loop with the announced departure of Peter Moore from EA. Currently EA’s chief competition officer, Moore will be moving on to become the CEO of Liverpool FC, one of the most popular soccer clubs in the world.
The departure ends one of the longest tenures of Electronic Arts as Moore held multiple positions though the company. In 2007, Moore joined EA as president of EA Sports. Just four years later, Moore was promoted to COO of EA until 2015, when he became the head of the competitive gaming division. His final position was created just as EA recognized the popularity of eSports was growing. With popular games like Madden, FIFA and Battlefield, EA knew that eSports would be the future.
Current EA CEO Andrew Wilson announced Moore’s departure in a blog post and said heartfelt words about the man who had a hand in building the company into what it is today.
“Peter will leave an incredible legacy. Peter led our sports business to some of its biggest moments as President of EA SPORTS. As our Chief Operating Officer, he helped us navigate the transformation of our company and the evolution of our business in a digital world. In the past year as Chief Competition Officer, he has driven EA’s rapid expansion in competitive gaming.”
Moore’s new position with Liverpool FC comes at a time where the club is still trying to find its footing. The Reds are currently fifth in the Premier League and while expectations were high, supporters are growing weary and some are even thinking that it may be time to start over. With one of the most charismatic managers/coaches in the world in Jurgen Klopp, the club is in the middle of the pack with the coach announcing that the team will need spend money in the summer. With Moore coming in, time will only tell whether Liverpool with go throughout with Klopp’s assessment.
The question for EA is how will its competitive gaming division change and who even is fit to replace Moore's seat as the brains of the competitive gaming division will be affected by the change and, more importantly, who will run it. According to Wilson, Moore will stay on for a little while longer while EA presumably looks for his successor.
“In the weeks to come, Peter will continue to guide EA’s Competitive Gaming Division in its mission to make stars of all of our players,” said Wilson. “Peter has built a fantastic team that is now running dozens of global tournaments and events with millions of players. With more exciting expansion plans on the horizon, Peter will be working with the teams to drive a leadership transition before he returns to the UK this summer.”
Moore’s time at EA Sports has been successful, particularly with the explosive rise of Madden as the only NFL game on the market, Battlefield’s success, and the reinvigoration of the NHL franchise. Moore’s tenure at EA has also been marred by the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit and the subsequent cancellation of the NCAA Football franchise. EA is making money and Moore had a lot to do with that since he arrived in 2007.
Moore’s shoes will be big ones to fill at EA Sports. He has been a presence at the company for so long and has been hands-on with the many projects EA had on the books. It will be important for EA to find Moore’s replacement and that person needs to be familiar with competitive gaming and build the CG division into the juggernaut it was on its way to be before Peter Moore’s departure. EA has no time to waste, so that replacement needs to be found sooner than later.
