Patrick Söderlund, current chief design officer for Electronic Arts, will be stepping down after twelve years at the company. Besides being in charge of DICE before and after its acquisition by EA as its CEO, Söderlund was also responsible for Frostbite’s implementation in various EA projects. He’s expected to officially leave sometime this year.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson shared the news in a recent open letter, noting, “Patrick has been a trusted business partner and a great friend, and his inspiring leadership has had an outstanding impact on EA. As an integral part of the management team for many years—including as head of Worldwide Studios and, most recently, Chief Design Officer—he’s been an agent of change and transformation.”
With Söderlund’s departure, Electronic Arts will see some reorganization, with Johan Andersson’s SEED team (which launched with the premise of researching technologies like neural networks and deep learning) joining the main studios’ group to “continue driving advanced design and innovation at the leading edge of games.”
Wilson further stated, “With new games and content playing a vital role in our networked future, the EA Originals and EA Partners teams led by Rob Letts will join our Strategic Growth group.”
What Söderlund’s plans are and where he’ll eventually end up – if he chooses to do so immediately after leaving – has not been revealed. Wilson did thank him for his work for the publisher. “He will always be a part of our EA family. And thank you all for leading us forward.”
What does this mean for DICE and Frostbite technology as a whole? What major shake-ups will we see in the coming year? Furthermore, who will assume Söderlund’s position? Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.