Electronic Arts announces esports division, with Peter Moore as ‘chief competition officer’

EA is making a big move to capitalize on the growing esports movement.

The publisher announced a new competitive gaming division today. It also announced that Peter Moore, previously in charge of EA Sports and listed now as an executive vice president and chief operating officer, will lead the new venture as EVP and chief competition officer for Electronic Arts. Peter will continue to lead his current organization through the end of FY16 before shifting full time to his new position.

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“For many of you, the passion for games is defined by competition — a relentless focus on being the best, and leaving your mark on the games you love,” a post on EA’s site states. “It fuels many of the amazing things we see from millions of you playing EA games each day.  As this passion continues to grow, we’re committed to creating even more opportunities for you to connect and compete.”

Esports have become a huge industry, and the larger gaming companies are finally taking notice. Acitvision Blizzard also recently started an esports division. The top 20 nations alone will spend $83 billion on video games by the end of 2015, according to intelligence firm Newzoo.

Hits like League of Legends and Counter-Strike remain some of the most popular competitive games, but EA has notable games of its own that thrive on competition, like Madden, FIFA, and Battlefield 4.