Facebook hires former EA VP Rachel Rubin Franklin as head of social VR

After half a decade at EA, Rachel Rubin Franklin is leaving the company to join Facebook as the head of social VR.

Well known for her involvement in the development of The Sims 4, Franklin is no stranger to creating immersive virtual worlds. Her new position at Facebook further highlights the company’s interest in creating social, virtual experiences.

Franklin served as an executive producer, vice president, and general manager for Maxis and EA since joining the company in 2011. Previously, she worked as the senior director of marketing and senior project manager for the cloud gaming platform OnLive.

Franklin will be working alongside Michael Booth and fellow Maxis-alum Lucy Bradshaw to further develop VR experiences like the avatar powered chatroom showcased by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Oculus Connect last week.