EA Enlists Former Activision Exec To Head Casual Division

Officials from major publisher and developer Electronic Arts have announced the creation of EA Casual Entertainment, a new division focused on developing and publishing casual titles for consoles, PCs, handheld devices and mobile phones. EA has yet to announce any games or license agreements for the new division, and it's unclear how the division will interact with existing Electronic Arts-owned casual entities such as Pogo.com, other than its scope being broader. The group will be headed up by former Activision Publishing president Kathy Vrabeck, where she worked for over six years and was regarded as one of the most prominent women in the game publishing industry before resigning in 2005. Prior to her work for Activision, she worked for ConAgra Foods where she was senior vice president/general manager of the company’s snack food division. Interestingly, the announcement follows similar posturing within the casual space by rival Ubisoft, which announced the formation of a new casual division in May, which will focus on the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. "All over the world, consumers are playing games that don't require hours of intense concentration," said Kathy Vrabeck, President of EA Casual Entertainment. "The common denominator is casual fun. Whether it will be playing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Wii with the family or downloading Madden NFL 08 on a phone, quick-to-the-fun games are bringing new players and new demographics to interactive entertainment."