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EA Vice President Jeff Brown Leaves For GoPro
In recent weeks, we’ve reported on the departure of the heads of Criterion, PopCap, and Chillingo, all owned by EA. Now the publisher has lost its communications chief. Jeff Brown has departed the company after 14 years.
The news comes by way of VentureBeat, which interviewed Brown recently. He’s now heading up corporate communications at GoPro, a company that makes cameras designed to withstand the rigors of extreme sports.
Up until September, Brown headed up the communications operation of one of the world’s largest publishers, and is known for being direct in his comments. Brown led EA through its “wins” in two Consumerist “Worst Company in America” polls, attacks by FOX News over Mass Effect sex scenes and violent content in Bulletstorm, and 2013's tumultuous SimCity launch.
According to VentureBeat’s report, David Tinson has been tapped to head up EA’s corporate communication efforts. Brown says that his departure is not due to new CEO Andrew Wilson. “I am completely supportive of Andrew. But it was a good time for me to say goodbye,” he says.
[Source: VentureBeat, LinkedIn]
Our Take
EA is currently in the midst of recovering from another public relations challenge, and this time without the guidance of Jeff Brown. Battlefield 4 has been under repair since its launch, and while the situation is improving, it’s not yet time to sound the all clear.
EA has a lot of fences to mend with the public. Wilson and Tinson need to make sure that 2014 is a turnaround year for the public. Being hitched to the Titanfall wagon as a contracted publisher (rather than an owner of developer Respawn) has the potential to be a springboard for a perception overhaul.
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