Zynga snags yet another EA executive, Barry Cottle, as EVP of biz dev

We all know that when Zynga's not busy gobbling up games studios, the San Francisco-based social game behemoth is busy taking a bite out of other companies. The CityVille maker announced that Barry Cottle, entertainment veteran and most recently Electronic Art's EVP of its EA Interactive (EAi) division, has joined Zynga as EVP of business and corporate development.

"It's rare that you find someone who possesses a deep operational background and also has the vision to see where your business and your industry are headed," Zynga CEO Mark Pincus said in a release. "Barry is one of those executives, and I'm very excited to have him join the team. His skill set, combined with his deep understanding of the games, technology and entertainment spaces will help us accelerate our mission of connecting the world through games."

Recently, EA executives have left for other companies (usually social game makers) from other divisions within the veteran games publisher. But the kicker here is that, Cottle oversaw EA's Pogo flash games portal, EA Mobile and even The Sims Social creator Playfish as head of EAi. (Um, ouch?) Cottle also hails from the likes of Palm, Americast and Disney in his over 20 years of executive experience.

"I'm proud and thrilled to join the Zynga team, the pioneer and driving force behind the social games industry," Cottle said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to being part of building play for the world in a way that truly connects people and delights players everywhere, each and every day." Something tells us that this war between Zynga and EA is far from over.

What do you think EA will do to keep pace with Zynga in the social games space, especially now that it needs to find a new head to its EAi division? How will Zynga make use of Cottle? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.