Longtime Electronic Arts executive Patrick Söderlund is leaving the company after spending 12 years rising through its ranks. Söderlund, now 44, was the CEO of DICE prior to its acquisition by Electronic Arts in 2006, with the executive donning the role of Executive Vice President of EA Worldwide before being promoted to the role of Chief Design Officer of EA. During his tenure, he helped implement numerous successful technology ventures including the Frostbyte engine and the 'player-first' initiative.

Patrick will remain at his post for three months before stepping down, giving the company plenty of time to find and secure a replacement. In any event, they'll have some big shoes to fill.

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson addressed the departure in a public memo earlier today:

Today we are announcing that Patrick Söderlund has made the decision to move on from EA.  After nearly two decades as a pioneer for our company and industry, he will begin a new chapter later this year.

Wilson also stated that some Electronic Arts teams would be reshuffled in the foreseeable future, including the SEED team (led by Johan Andersson), which will join EA's studio team to further work on technology innovations at Electronic Arts unrelated to Frostbyte. The company has also recruited Zynga's Head of Experience Design, Jason Wozencroft, to help develop a unified UX for EA games and services.

The EA Originals and EA Partners teams, led by longtime EA veteran Rob Letts, will then be merged with the Strategic Growth group. It'll be interesting to see how the shuffling of talent impacts EA's overarching studio impact, but only time will tell what Söderlund's absence will truly mean for the company.

According to SEC filings, the 44-year-old Swedish executive made $48.3 million last year, where he received a $20 million bonus that many believe was used as an incentive to stay. Evidently, Söderlund has still found a comparable offer elsewhere - though exactly where he'll find himself in three months remains a mystery for now.

Andrew Wilson made reference to Patrick's time in the gaming industry as a whole before stating he was starting a new chapter, with the implication being that Söderlund's next position may be outside the games industry entirely - setting him apart from Amy Hennig's quiet departure almost a year prior.

Source: Electronic Arts