EA has promoted Rod Humble to executive vice president and the new head of The Sims label, with responsibility for all forthcoming label releases, including The Sims 3. Humble has worked at EA, on The Sims label, since 2004. He was previously vice president of product development for Sony Online Entertainment, heading the studio for massively multiplayer online game EverQuest. Previous The Sims lead Nancy Smith will still manage “special projects” for the label, before beginning a new, so far unspecified, executive role at EA. “Like Nancy Smith before him, Rod Humble has demonstrated strong leadership in defining EA’s The Sims brand as a stand-alone product label. Rod has great creative instincts, uncompromising quality standards, a deep connection with the player community, and most of all, the respect of the team he works with,” said John Riccitiello, CEO of EA. “The Sims label creates original entertainment experiences which are unique in the way they bring culture, interactivity and creativity together,” commented Humble. “It is a privilege to lead The Sims label team as we look forward to new ways of surprising and delighting customers in this rapid growth time for interactive entertainment of all kinds.”