THQ Exec Makes Move To EA Tiburon

According to reports originating from the Orlando Sentinel, THQ's senior vice president of studio operations Philip Holt has joined Electronic Arts at its Tiburon studios in Florida. Holt's job at the studio will be as the Tiburon office's chief operating officer, replacing Ben Noel, who is currently executive director of the EA-affiliated Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) at the University of Central Florida. He will work under studio head Steve Chiang on upcoming Madden titles and the other major franchises, including the Superman games, currently being developed at EA's Florida offices. In fact, according to the paper, Holt's ties to EA go back further than his current employment. His family founded Manley & Associates, a game developer, in 1982, which was later sold to Electronic Arts and turned into the company's Seattle offices. Prior to the Seattle studio's closing, Holt worked there for EA before moving on to THQ. At the Tiburon studio, Holt will help to develop the company into the size the EA head office hopes to grow its staff to, with an eventual target of another 100 hires by early 2006. The Tiburon offices currently have a staff of 540 employees.