John Riccitiello Resigns From Electronic Arts

In a move that jarred the video game industry, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello yesterday resigned from his post, one that he’s held for over five years.

“My decision to leave EA is really all about my accountability for the shortcomings in our financial results this year,” Riccitiello noted through a company blog. “It currently looks like we will come in at the low end of, or slightly below, the financial guidance we issued to the Street, and we have fallen short of the internal operating plan we set one year ago. And for that, I am 100 percent accountable.”

“In a few weeks, I will be leaving EA physically. But I will never leave emotionally. I am so incredibly proud of all the great things you have done, and it has been my honor to lead this team these past six years,” he concluded. “After March, I will be cheering wildly for EA from the sidelines.”

Larry Probst will be the temporary CEO of the company while EA attempts to find a permanent replacement.

What this means for the future of the company – and its next-gen plans – are uncertain, but we certainly wish Riccitiello the best. Poor guy may be going too hard on himself for SimCity…