It’s very likely that you’ve been influenced by Peter Moore if you have played games over the last 9 years or so. Current head of EA Sports, former Corporate Vice-President of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division for Microsoft (in charge of Xbox and Games for Windows), and also former COO of Sega of America, Mr. Moore has been in charge of some pretty heavy hitters in gaming history, and has made a name for himself doing so. Being in charge of so many important brands, he has some very interesting stories to tell, and Keith Stewart of the Guardian UK has managed to squeeze some of that information out. Moore sat down for a candid interview where he discussed everything from the fall of Dreamcast to the power of digital distribution.

Moore described the first year of Dreamcast’s launch in North America, when he was brought in from Reebok to establish a better global brand for the system, as hopeful and said that Sega of America believed that the Dreamcast could win. However, with the launch in Japan not being able to keep up with the necessary amounts to compete with the coming launch of the PS2, Moore was in charge of bringing the whole thing down. “Somehow I got to make that call, not the Japanese. I had to fire a lot of people, it was not a pleasant day.” Moore also talked about backing the Xbox when it was released, and when Sega ate crow and started their development for the other companies. He believed the future was online, which was a good start for his next job.

Moore’s battle with Sony didn’t end there, of course. After having expressed his frustration in dealing with Sega during the years following the Dreamcast’s demise to a friend in Microsoft, he was invited to a table with CEO Steve Ballmer, who told him they’d be taking on Sony head-on and Moore was back in the saddle. He focused on the design and implementation of the 360, and specifically how it was marketed. Anyone who was around during those days may remember the MTV special and major amounts of hype geared towards the internet gaming communities that tried to focus on their online components they were launching with the new Xbox Live. He also went on to describe Rare has a developer with “skillsets were from a different time and a different place and were not applicable in today’s market”, which he used as an explanation for the lack of strength of the first titles on the 360.

Moore goes on to let consumers know that “there will be a time when we don’t ship it on a physical disc, it’s not far away.” He seems to be a big proponent of digital distribution, and continues throughout the interview to discuss the blogging community, Xbox Live, and even how the Dreamcast was the start of the online scene for games with Seganet and NBA 2K1. Just from this five-part series released this week, it is easy to see how big of an influence the man has had, and how far his dominion in the industry extends. Now as head of EA Sports, it seems he is still maintaining the idea of yearly releases, as he alludes to it being the same as the sports industry itself starting over every year.

Moore isn’t necessarily an innovator in the industry, but he does have a history of becoming the brand that he is heading. As Microsoft’s front-man for the 360, he tattooed himself with game release dates, ensured that people could get excited about what was coming, and pressed the idea of communities and worked with the press to get them involved as much as possible. From his work so far, it is expected his role at EA Sports will follow the same vein. Whether or not this means more frequent online updates, more community based ideas or just simply a lot of talk about what is coming up in their library has yet to be seen, as Moore’s purview has just begun. If NHL 09 is any indication, so far, the amount of online presence that EA Sports wants to have in the future is only going to get more advanced.

You can read more of the interview here: Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five