Electronic Arts launches a competitive gaming division

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has announced the launch of its own competitive gaming division, led by former Microsoftie Peter Moore.

Peter Moore left Microsoft back in 2007, trading his position at the head of the company's gaming efforts to Don Mattrick - who left the company in 2013 following a troubled launch for the Xbox One console before lasting just two years at social gaming behemoth Zynga. Having headed up EA Sports since, Moore is now leading the company's charge into the eSports market with the launch of a dedicated division for competitive gaming.

'I am excited to announce that Peter Moore is moving into a new role as Executive Vice President and Chief Competition Officer for Electronic Arts, leading our new EA Competitive Gaming Division (CGD),' crowed EA's Andrew Wilson in the announcement. 'As the latest step in our journey to put our players first, this group will enable global eSports competitions in our biggest franchises including FIFA, Madden NFL, Battlefield and more.'

The CGD, Wilson has claimed, is built around three core pillars: to create offically-supported competitive gaming experiences around EA titles, to build a community at all skill levels, and to invest in live events and broadcasting. 'There is no one better in our industry to lead this new effort than Peter,' claimed Wilson. 'He was an early pioneer in championing competitive gaming programs, such as the FIFA Interactive World Cup and the EA Sports Challenge Series, and Peter’s personal passions for the player experience, sports and competition, make him a tremendous leader for this new division.'

Moore is to be joined in the new division by Todd Sitrin, a 14-year EA veteran, in the role of general manager.