Shortly after news broke that EA has disbanded their highly discussed studio over at Visceral Games, a new statement has been released disclosing a new purchase from the giant-sized publisher. EA now has their sights set on Respawn, the team responsible for the Titanfall franchise, for a whopping $455 million contract.
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The timing is curious after the closure of Visceral Games spotlight. That studio was responsible for a linear-style Star Wars game that had many fans eagerly anticipating its release. Now the title is being restructured away from story-based and more towards online multiplayer. It makes sense then that the publisher would then set their sites on another flourishing multiplayer franchise: Titanfall.
The road for Respawn:
Respawnย themselves are currently working on a Star Wars title as well as an unnamed VR project. The company announced that they are excited to acquire the developing team in a recent press release statement:
“We’ve seen firsthand the world-class caliber of Respawn as a development studio with incredible vision, deep talent and an inspiring creative mindset,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. “Our longtime partnership is grounded in a shared desire to push the boundaries and deliver extraordinary and innovative new experiences for players around the world. Together, we’ve brought this to life in theย Titanfallย franchise, and now with the Respawn team joining EA, we have exciting plans to accomplish even more amazing things in the future.”
What does this mean for the future?
“We started Respawn with the goal to create a studio with some of the best talent in the industry, and to be a top developer of innovative games,” said Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment. “We felt that now was the time to join an industry leader that brings the resources and support we need for long term success, while still keeping our culture and creative freedom. EA has been a great partner over the years withย Titanfallย andย Titanfall 2, and we’re excited to combine our strengths. This is a great next step for Respawn, EA, and our players.”
Respawnย was initially founded back in 2010 by Call of Duty designers Jason Ward and Vince Zampella. The team made their first big splash with Titanfallย back in 2014, which was an Xboxย exclusive at the time. The sequel made an even bigger splash with its revamped mechanics and platform accessibility.ย
Now that the Visceral game is in the can and Star Wars Battlefront II is almost upon us, it will be interesting to see where EA goes next. Seems like Star Wars continues to be a main focus, as well as the attention given to multiplayer titles. EA has already been very frank with their desire to stay within the Online market, citing that it’s more profitable and where “the bulk of” gamer interest lies. What they choose to do next, only time will tell.ย
