Patrick Söderlund leaves Electronic Arts after 12 years
Publisher reshuffling teams as long-serving exec makes surprise departure
Electronic Arts has lost one of its most notable faces as chief design officer Patrick Söderlund departs the firm.
The news was announced via a letter from CEO Andrew Wilson. In the letter, Wilson described Söderlund as "a trusted business partner and a great friend" and said his "inspiring leadership has had an outstanding impact" on the publisher.
At the time of writing, there is no word as to the reason for his departure or where he will be heading next, but the announcement does say Söderlund will "begin a new chapter later this year."
"As an integral part of the management team for many years - including as head of Worldwide Studios and, most recently, Chief Design Officer - he's been an agent of change and transformation," Wilson continued. "From his early vision for Frostbite, which has now become a cornerstone for our technology strategy, to being a champion for Players First experiences, Patrick has always ensured we put creative at the center of everything we do.
"He has also been unwavering in his commitment to building our pipeline of amazing new games to come, and his fingerprints will be on the experiences that we bring to players well into the future.
"We wish Patrick the very best in his next life adventure, and we thank him for his many significant contributions."
Söderlund has been at Electronic Arts for 12 years, having joined when the publisher acquired Battlefield developer DICE in 2006. He has held multiple senior positions at the company, most recently taking on the role of chief design officer as part of an internal reshuffle earlier this year.
Wilson's letter indicates more reorganisation is underway in the wake of Söderlund's departure. The SEED team announced at E3 2017 will join the publisher's studios group, still under the helm of Johan Andersson, while the EA Originals and EA Partners teams led by Rob Letts will join the Strategic Growth group.
The CEO also highlighted - apparently in agreement with Söderlund - the strong leaders that remain at the company, including studios boss Laura Miele, marketing and publishing chief Chris Bruzzo, tech leader Ken Moss and growth teams leader Matt Bilbey.
We spoke to Söderlund at E3 2018, first about EA's learnings from the loot box controversy and later about EA Originals and the return of Command & Conquer.