EA is Setting Up New Studio Under Former Monolith Productions Studio Head

EA has announced that it will be opening a new development studio in the Seattle area, with former Monolith Productions VP and Studio Head Kevin Stephens heading things up. (via gamesindustry.biz)

The studio, which is currently unnamed, will be tasked with creating an open-world action-adventure title, something that Stephens knows well, having been at Monolith during the production of the Middle-Earth games. Stephens will be working closely with EA Senior VP Samantha Ryan, who was a former president of Monolith Productions, and worked alongside Stephens for many many years.

“Kevin joining forces with Samantha and the incredibly talented teams at Electronic Arts adds even more depth to our creative collective,” said EA Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele. “Kevin is an exceptionally talented game developer leader and we look forward to supporting him while he builds his team.”

“As someone known for his open world action-adventure games, we know players will be eagerly awaiting more details on this new studio and its projects.”

The setup of the studio is still in the early stages, with some decisions, such as the flexibility of remote working, still to be decided. However, the genre that the studio will be working on seems pretty set in stone, as EA regards it as an important genre to tap into.

“The action-adventure space is a hugely important genre in our industry, and to us at EA,” said Ryan “Players and fans of those games are so passionate and it's also one of my personal favourite genres. We've also recently had success with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and we would love to entertain more fans with similar interests.”

Ryan didn't confirm to gamesindustry.biz whether the new studio would be working on originally IP or existing brands.