Mattrick and McMillan depart EA

Top third-party publisher Electronic Arts shuffled its executive deck today, following the sudden exit of two of its corporate officers.

Paul Lee, executive vice president and chief operating officer of EA Worldwide Studios, is stepping in to replace his former boss, EA Worldwide Studios president Don Mattrick. According to a statement from the company, Mattrick "has chosen to seek other opportunities outside of EA." Mattrick had been at the company since 1991, when his previous employer, Distinctive Software, was bought by EA.

"This is an ideal time for me to evaluate the next set of challenges in my career," said Mattrick in a statement. "I wish everyone at EA enormous success and hope that I'll be working with them again soon."

Also leaving the company is Vancouver-based Bruce McMillan, who held the title of executive vice president. His departure was only obliquely mentioned in the release in comments by EA CEO Larry Probst. In a statement, Probst said, "Each of these executives has served many years in our company, developing their leadership skills and proving themselves with increasing levels of responsibility. I believe this is the strongest and most capable executive team in our industry."

The executives affected by Mattrick's departure--and their new positions within the EA organization--are as follows:

David Gardner moves to global studio chief operating officer from senior vice president of EA international publishing.

Gerhard Florin tapped as executive vice president of international publishing from senior vice president and general manager of European publishing.

Frank Gibeau moves to executive vice president of North American publishing from senior vice president of North American marketing.

Nancy Smith moves from executive vice president and general manager of North American publishing to EVP and general manager of The Sims franchise, a new position.

Glenn Entis moves into the role of senior vice president, chief visual and technical officer.