EA COO jumps ship for Zynga - Report

I doubt having any executive from EA is a good thing for Zynga employees. Did EA let him bring his whip?

I think people just shift to where the money is 'a makin'... too bad for such a fragile industry as this one.

I never heard of this guy.

Good...im sure he played a major part in pushing Dragon Age 2 out the door after a 1.5 year developement cycle...

Too bad Zynga isn't leaving gaming. That would be nothing but good news for gaming if it happened.

What a waste...... Zynga doesn't even make games, anyone who says what they make are games is fooling themselves.

I really hate it when people flame other gaming platforms or flame casual gamers but Zynga is where I make my exception. It is perfect that they are integrated with facebook because facebook is fake socializing just like Zynga is fake gaming. A game offers some sort of challenge, not just a giant non -challenging ditch to throw away your time and money.

@ Robfield. The answer is yes. Yes they do.

Well of course he's gone from EA for Zynga, it's all about that green paper to those big wigs...

Once Star Wars the Old Republic reports it profit a year or two from now this guy will be kicking himself in the face.

Wish EA improves after him getting out BUT it ain't happening :P

It makes me wanna throw up when i read that "boring-repetitive-waist of money-ville" maker is worth more than a top publisher/dev.

Ugh. I HATE Zynga.

first off the amount their worth is speculative at best. seeing its a private company and their making last year $850 million

I'm going out on a limb to predict Zynga will be worth a whole lot less sometime within the next 24-36 months. I think people will get increasingly bored with their games and it would be interesting to track how much time their users spend with each successive game. Zynga grows as long as Facebook continues to grow but once that stops the clock starts ticking until a lot of these casual games go the way of the pet rock (and it wouldn't be the first time that gaming ends up crashing on the shores of the post-fad let down).

Do these executives see stock reports and just go where they think the most money is? Seriously, why would multimillion dollar companies hire employees with little to no loyalty? He was the operating officer! Does he have that little confidence in one of the biggest videogame publishers today!? Here's a description of COO: "The COO is normally responsible for anything that has to do with the products of the company. Specifically, inventory control, maintaining and exceeding quality standards, employee management, ensuring department heads stay on budget, warehousing, moving products out in a timely manner, installing systems, rules and regulations to make the organization run smoother and more efficiently, as well as removing bottlenecks from one segment of the operation which might impede the productivity of another." I highly doubt most operating officers are directly responsible for managing any of that.

@RufusChambers Ok foo.

@hyksiu COO = Chief Operating Officer

Off from Mass Effect and Dragon Age and on to.... Bakery Story and Words with Friends?

Another thought: Schappert is being deployed by EA subversively to later integrate EA and Zynga. You heard it here first.

@hyksio ICE COLD! I can't hear ya! I said "What's COO'er than being COO'!?" ICE COLD!!!!!

What is coo?

Schappert is doing what he does best. Following money.

He is going over to tend crops with all the "friends" he has accumulated but actually never met before . And people say Nintendo is for kids.

@nocoolnamejim Most likely delusion unfortunately. EA took in Bioware for one reason only.. to bring in more mainstream friendly RPG cash cows, not cater to a niche crowd on their dime. Deep down we all know Bioware would be watered down and dismantled before it will ever be allowed to run off into a dark corner of the market again.

Perhaps Schappert has moved over to Zynga in an allaborate attempt to sabotage them, he will slowly infect them with calls for money, drugs, hookers and blackjack and they will spontaneously combust.. what??!??! ! i can dream....

Social gaming needs to die before it further damages gaming

Well good for John Schappert it's nice to see successful people in the gaming industry move of the business ladder maybe now politicians will realize this industry isn't just child's play with how much money that is being made in it

The reaper moves to Zynga. Noted.

Executives are mostly greedy. They just go to where ever the money is.

Who is the heck is this guy? Who cares? Yet another over payed nobody who is helping to absolutely ruin gaming as we know it through his selfish mismanagement and lack of caring. Another shadow in the dark making decisions that affect everybody who loves to game...who would have known.

Oh how the mighty shalt fall once people realise its just a fad. Same with Bebo, Myspace and assorted others... Give it time...

These top CEO's think they can get away with behaving like sportsmen, shopping for bigger contracts all the time...

He's a flip flopper

it is curious why he's jumping ship so quickly...it isn't good for your resume to keep changing jobs...but something tells me, at his level, it doesn't matter.

I am sure I speak for everyone when I ask, who the F is John Schappert???

EA would rather be Zynga? Why am I not surprised.

This guy isn't Tiger Woods, so I don't care. I mean this guy isn't cool. He doesn't do anything outrageous. There's nothing interesting about this story, or this man.