EA Sports chief Andrew Wilson named as EA's new CEO

Electronic Arts has announced on its company news blog that it has named Andrew Wilson, previously the point man behind EA's sports division, as its new chief executive officer. The appointment of Wilson, 39, comes just weeks ahead of the launch of new video game consoles, a crucial transitional period for EA and the industry at large. EA has operated without a permanent CEO since March of this year, when John Riccitiello stepped down. In his stead, former EA CEO and board member Larry Probst was installed as EA's executive chairman in order to oversee the company while a new CEO was selected. Probst will stay on as executive chairman "indefinitely" as Wilson transitions into his new role. Wilson's annual base salary, according to a regulatory filing, is $800,000, with bonus potential of 150 percent of his base salary, plus stock options. "I'm incredibly motivated to serve our people, our gamers and our shareholders at such an exciting time in our industry," Wilson announced in a separate introductory post. "We have made strong progress in the first half of the fiscal year, establishing financial discipline and continuing to create a slate of fantastic games for current and next-generation consoles, mobile and PC. But now we've got to finish the job." Prior to his position as CEO, Wilson served as the head of EA Sports, replacing Peter Moore (now EA COO) in the position in 2011.