EA names new president of global publishing, COO

Amidst its hostile bid to absorb competitor Take Two, which is playing out with all the drama befitting daytime TV, Electronic Arts has announced the appointment of John Pleasants as the company's new chief operating officer and president of global publishing. He will report directly to CEO John Riccitiello, and in his new role the exec will lead the charge in EA's global publishing, corporate communications and government affairs -- someone's gonna have his hands full.

He will also be getting his hands dirty helping manage EA's online, central development, and technology teams as well. Pleasants' previous experience includes top executive positions as multiple companies including Ticketmaster, meaning that he already likely has a great deal of experience at nickel-and-diming customers into oblivion. We expect him to fit right in.