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EA details changing guard in leadership (update)

Samit Sarkar (he/him) is Polygon’s deputy managing editor. He has more than 15 years of experience covering video games, movies, television, and technology.

One week after promoting former EA Sports head Andrew Wilson to the position of CEO, Electronic Arts is making further changes to its executive structure, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Patrick Söderlund, currently the executive vice president of the EA Games label, will also be taking over as the head of EA Sports. And Frank Gibeau, who has served as president of EA Labels — EA Games, EA Sports, Maxis and BioWare — since August 2011, will now run EA's mobile division. The news came during one of Electronic Arts' semi-regular, company-wide "town hall" meetings today.

Söderlund is filling a role vacated by Wilson, who became CEO last week after a months-long search following former CEO John Riccitiello's resignation in March.

Gibeau will also be assuming the position of head of EA's digital distribution service, Origin. Wilson was the head of Origin, along with running EA Sports, prior to taking the CEO position. It's unclear if Gibeau will also retain his role as the head of EA Labels.

Söderlund has held his current position at the EA Games label since January 2012. Previously, he served as the chief executive of Battlefield developer EA DICE from January 2000 to October 2006, and the studio's vice president and general manager from October 2006 to August 2010. Gibeau has been with EA for more than two decades. Prior to his most recent executive position, he served as the president of EA Games from May 2008 to August 2011.

We've reached out to EA for more details, and will update this article with any information we receive.

Update: An internal memo obtained by Polygon confirms the above executive appointments and details other changes under Andrew Wilson's leadership as CEO. Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw is now part of Wilson's management team as head of the SimCity studio, while chief operating officer Peter Moore "continues to lead our Global Publishing and Marketing organizations, as well as EA's Worldwide Customer Experience and Global Media Solutions teams."

Wilson's other direct reports, Rajat Taneja, Blake Jorgensen, Joel Linzner and Gabrielle Toledano, will continue to serve in their existing roles, the memo says, while working to improve EA's business.

"These are exciting times for all of us here at EA," Wilson wrote in his memo. "Games like FIFA 14, launching this week around the world, are at the very pinnacle of quality for the current-gen consoles and an example of what great can look like across platforms, business models and geographies. We have more amazing games launching over the coming months, including our robust slate of titles for the next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Meanwhile, Mobile continues its amazing trajectory, and we're exploring new opportunities in digital gaming every day."