EA Moves International HQ To Geneva

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has confirmed that it has completed the move of its international publishing headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland, following reports late last year initially announcing a shift away from the former headquarters in Chertsey, England. According to a Reuters story regarding the new Geneva HQ, European spokeswoman Tiffany Steckler commented of the shift: "When Electronic Arts started its European business in the early 1990s, the natural choice was to go to Britain for language reasons. As the company has grown, it makes sense to be closer to the heart of Europe and be at a more neutral location." Around 90 staff are employed at its new offices, which were officially opened on Wednesday - many of those were moved from the previous European HQ located in Chertsey, south of London, England. However, this UK EA campus, which is responsible for major titles including the Harry Potter franchise, will continue to operate under new head and former Criterion leading lady Fiona Sperry. The original 2005 announcement of the move resulted in illuminating comments from EA's executive vice president of international publishing Gerhard Florin, who suggested that the company was keen to move into the geographical heart of Europe, even though the UK remained the largest single market. Florin also indicated that some territories felt that Electronic Arts had been too focused on the UK, commenting to UK trade publication MCV: "What we want to be is a truly international division, so we’ve moved to a more neutral territory, possibly the most neutral territory of all."