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EA's creative director leaves the company

Richard Hilleman, director of early Madden NFL titles and chief creative director, spent 30 years with the publishing giant. 

David Craddock

May 18, 2016 1:35 PM

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Electronic Arts' creative director Richard Hilleman has left the company. His departure marks the end of 30 years with EA.

Polygon broke the story this afternoon, and touched base with EA for more details. "Rich Hilleman is a pioneer," EA corporate spokesman John Reseburg told Polygon, "a creative mind whose work influenced many games at EA and beyond. We are thankful to Rich for his contribution over more than 30 years with the company, and we look forward to seeing what he pursues next."

Hilleman lives up to the lofty appellation of pioneer. On his LinkedIn profile, he describes how he started at the company in 1983 as a support specialist and worked his way up from "soldering cables to developing and producing franchises like John Madden Football, NHL Hockey, and many others."

He was named chief creative director of EA in 2008, and held the position until his departure. EA told Polygon that were not looking to fill the role.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.