Chairman Larry Probst steps down as an active employee at Electronic Arts

Larry Probst, a longtime fixture at Electronic Arts, will step down as an employee of game publisher Electronic Arts on Jan. 1. He will move from executive chairman, which is an employee position, to non-executive chairman as 2015 starts.

Probst joined EA as vice president of sales in 1984. He became CEO after EA founder Trip Hawkins left to run 3DO. Probst was CEO of EA from 1991 to 2007. During that time, EA became one of the juggernauts of the game business.

Probst was appointed executive chairman in March 2013, after CEO John Riccitiello left. Probst returned to EA as an employee at that time. Andrew Wilson was appointed CEO in September 2013, and Probst helped guide the company through the transition.

It now appears that Probst trusts Wilson enough to step back from actively running the company..