According to documents filed by EA to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Schappert ended his 22-month long run with EA this Tuesday. Sources at Reuters allege Schappert made the decision to leave after the insanely popular developer of FarmVille and Mafia Wars fame offered him a lucrative and influential role within the fast growing company.
This marks the second time Schappert has departed EA. In 2007, he left his role as a manager in EA's gaming division to join Microsoft for a two-year stint, returning in 2009 as EA's second in command under John Riccitello. Prior to his exit, Schappert played a key role in expanding the company's casual and online gaming ventures.
“[Schappert is] a really good leader and he was one of the more capable guys at EA," said everyone's favourite video game analyst Michael Pachter, adding, "But in fairness, EA has a lot of capable people. So I think he's a loss for them but I don't think he's an irreplaceable loss. He's a gigantic addition for Zynga."
Zynga is pegged to bring in more than $1 billion in annual revenue this year alone. No word if Schappert will be paid in gold coins or limited edition cows.
[Source: Reuters, Mercury News]
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