Electronic Arts names new COO

The first quarter of 2008 has been characterised by a number of high-profile job appointments within the industry. David Gardner, who had been working at Electronic Arts for almost 25 years, quit at the beginning of the year to jump ship to take up the helm at Infogrames as CEO. Then at the beginning of March, former Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison made the shock move from the PlayStation maker to become president and director general alongside Gardner at Infogrames.

Back at Electronic Arts, the company has now announced its new chief operating officer, who will replace Gardner. From today, John Pleasants will take up the dual role of president of global publishing and COO of the publisher.

According to a statement made by EA, the newly installed executive has a dizzying array of task forces to command. It reads, "Pleasants will lead EA's global publishing organization, corporate communications and government affairs, as well as the online, central development, and technology teams."

Before moving to EA, Pleasants had held a variety of executive roles outside of the industry, including working as president and CEO of Revolution Health Group, and president and CEO of Ticketmaster. Pleasants will report directly to CEO John Riccitiello, and his new role is effective immediately.