Tony Avelar/Bloomberg News John Schappert is moving to Zynga after 22 months at Electronics Arts. Monday was the last day at Electronic Arts for John Schappert, the company’s chief operating officer. Mr. Schappert has taken a post at Zynga, the social gaming company and a competitor of Electronic Arts, according to a person briefed on the move who was not authorized to talk about personnel changes.
Zynga has not publicly said what job Mr. Schappert will have at the company. He could not be reached, and a Zynga spokeswoman declined to comment.
The move comes 22 months after Mr. Schappert, with much fanfare, came to Electronic Arts from Microsoft, where he was vice president of the interactive entertainment business.
Zynga, the company behind games like Farmville and Cityville, has enjoyed explosive growth. It has come to represent in many ways the transition of gaming to casual, quick-hit experiences, as opposed to the multibillion-dollar console-gaming world Electronic Arts has long ruled.
Electronic Arts has made strides in recent quarters at reviving its fortunes and focusing on the Internet-centric world. But at least one major executive continues to think the smart bet is elsewhere.
