DeMartini exits EA Partners, Neider assumes GM role
Former EA Partners head David DeMartini has passed the torch on, as the label expands to enfold both Angry Birds publisher Chillingo and casual portal PlayFish.
Taking the stage at EA’s GDC presentation, DeMartini announced his new role as head of EA’s e-commerce division.
The executive expressed warm support and confidence for his replacement, Brian Neider.
Neider takes over as general manager of EA Partners in addition to his position as COO of the EA Games label.
"Looking around here at some of the games coming from our partners, it is a real honor to be taking over for David," Neider said.
"Those are some big shoes to fill, and I am going to do my best to continue to do a great job, something David has already done."
EA Partners expansion
Neider's catalogue of tasks now includes managing Chillingo and PlayFish, whose mobile, social and casual experience has been added to EA Partner's traditional publishing channels.
EA recently expressed its intention to move more intensely into non-traditional spaces.
EA Partners' current line up includes Bulletstorm, Crysis 2, Alice: Madness Returns, Shadows of the Damned, Rango, The Secret World, and Portal 2, with future titles expected from Insomniac, Starbreeze and Respawn.
DiMartini's farewell
"I wanted to thank you all for the time we spent together, and how much I enjoyed being able to speak to you all on behalf of our partners," Demartini said, opening the EA Partners event at GDC tonight.
"I have been asked to take over our e-commerce division at EA and our central technology group, so I will be passing the torch, or beret as it may be.
"It has been a great opportunity, career, and experience here at EA and to be able to speak with each of you on behalf of our partners. On a personal note, I just wanted to say thank you very much for your patience and for generally not misquoting me, or taking some of my bad comments and not turning them into something I should have said instead.
"One of the things that makes a transition like this easier is turning over the reins to somebody who has the same values as you do. Somebody who you know is going to eclipse even what your team was able to achieve during that period of time."
"Brian Neider is a long time veteran of Electronic Arts and he is going to be taking over as head of the EA Partners program. And I could not be more proud to hand over the program to a team at EA that can take what my team has built to a higher level."