Topic: Electronic Arts Acquires Studio 33

[WindyMan]

They make racing games, and darn good ones.  Their next one will carry EA branding.

UK DEVELOPER STUDIO 33 JOINS EA WORLDWIDE STUDIOS

Liverpool-Based Game Maker Joins Existing Studio, EA Northwest

Chertsey, UK. - October 16th, 2003 - Electronic Arts, the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, today announced the acquisition of Studio 33, a globally recognized developer of games in the racing genre. The team of roughly 30 Liverpool-based employees will join the existing team at EA Northwest in nearby Warrington. Both teams - a total of 75 employees - are scheduled to move to a new facility in Warrington shortly.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Studio 33 is known primarily for games created for the console including Formula One, Newman-Haas Racing, and Destruction Derby Arenas. Those games, developed for other publishers, are not part of the transaction.

EA, the world's foremost developer and publisher of interactive entertainment, has 4,000 employees, including roughly 2,300 creative people in its worldwide studio organization. EA makes games for all major platforms and last year published 22 titles that sold more than one million units worldwide.

"I couldn't be happier with the calibre of talent that will join EA in this agreement," said EA Executive Vice President Bruce McMillan. "The new team is already working on several projects that will be announced in the future. I predict that very shortly, EA Northwest will be a globally recognized powerhouse of interactive entertainment."

The primary focus of development at EA Northwest will be driving games. EA UK General Manager David Byrne will oversee the new studio. Studio Manager Chris Gibbs will lead development and John White will serve as head of the Technology Group.

"The North West of England is a creative centre that will continue to grow and gain recognition," continued McMillan. "There are more than 2000 active developers in the region and a cluster of globally recognized universities and art colleges supplying an on-going talent pipeline. This is a great place to make videogames."

[Djunknown]

Hmmm... Is EA following Microsoft's lead of gobbling up companies?

Seriously though, it looks like EA is trying to create "Hubs" around the world, just as how Montreal is quickly becoming a "hub" in this hemisphere thanks to Ubi Soft. (EA and Ubi soft are actually tussling for control over in Montreal but that's another story...)

[RABicle]

Well the video game industry has financially been in decline over the past few years. Sure sales have gone up, but so have costs and small companies arn't able to survive. Thats why in the last few years there have been a massive number of buyouts and mergers etc. as EA were already the biggest company they've bought out plenty of people from all over the world.