Peter Moore Leaves Microsoft for EA

To the surprise of everyone in the industry today, Peter Moore, abruptly resigned from Microsoft and will now serve as the president of Electronic Arts' (EA) sports division. Replacing Moore at Microsoft will be Don Mattrick, who was formerly president of game development at Electronic Arts.

Electronic Arts also announced today the completion of their internal restructuring. This restructure was done with the intentions of dividing EA into four separate divisions, Games, Casual Entertainment, The Sims and EA Sports.

Speculation is high to the reason why Moore left Microsoft, a company he showed so much passion for. Moore explained he left for "personal reasons" and desire to move to the San Francisco area. However, Microsoft's recent trouble in the gaming industry may have been partially blamed on Moore.

While Nintendo was quickly becoming the industry leader with their new Nintendo Wii Console. Microsoft has been forced to issue a $1 Billion recall for inexcusable console defects.

Moore commented on his decision and stated, "The people at EA Sports have created one of the strongest brands in the entertainment industry and John Riccitiello is building an organization which will extend the company's leadership to new platforms and new audiences all over the world. I couldn't be more excited about joining EA and moving my family back to the San Francisco Bay Area."

An SEC filing from Electronic Arts today revealed Peter Moore's salary at his new position to be $550,000 per year, with a potential annual bonus of $412,500. To top it off, a $1.5 million signing bonus. In addition, a relocation payment of $330,000, a stock option of 350,000 shares, and 50,000 restricted shares. With an incentive like this and Microsoft's recall, Moore is looking to get a fresh start in a growing division at EA.