What Are Electronic Arts Working On… A Look At Their Studios
Electronic Arts had a bit of a weird 2023, they shuffled a bunch of studios to work under a new label, EA Entertainment, they laid off hundreds of staff and yet they released a few kick ass games.
Taking a look at what their studios are up to is getting harder and harder when there are so many that are 4 or 5 years into the same project, or they release the same game with a slightly larger number at the end of the title, but we push on.
So let us take a look at Electronic Arts and see if we can’t work out what is going on with them.
Bioware
EDMONTON
Last Game Released: Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Series: Mass Effect series, Dragon Age series, Jade Empire
Last year we said that it was possible that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf could release at the end of the year, as the game was reported to have entered an alpha state the year before, but that did not happen. This now marks the 9th year since development started, and in that time we have been given some teaser trailers, a logo and a few pieces of art and that is all.
We will hear from the studio this Winter, as they have confirmed that the game will be fully revealed at that point, the bigger question is will we get a release date for it at that same time? Honestly its hard to say, if the game is close to done, as in another year and its good to go, then its possible. If however they are not close, then the reveal will likely all we will get. Hopefully it is more the first though, as the game is now six years in development, since its official reveal and that should be plenty of time.
The studio is also working on the next Mass Effect game, which we are just calling Mass Effect 5 for now. Last year we got a new character tease and I say tease as all we got was the video and nothing more. For now Mass Effect will likely stay very silent, until Dragon Age is out the door.
AUSTIN
Last Game Released: Star Wars: The Old Republic | Series: None
Honestly, we have no idea what this group is going to be doing going forward. The studio was spun up to create Star Wars The Old Republic and that MMO has been going strong for 12 years now. But in June 2023, it was revealed that they would no longer be working on it, with development, support and everything else being handed to Broadsword. The studio is pivoting to single player games, which is something that Bioware is kind of known for, but there is no word on if its supporting Mass Effect 5, Dragon Age 4 or something entirely new, but don’t worry there is no Anthem 2 in the mix.
But what about Star Wars The Old Republic, well EA are still the publisher and have final say over it, but Broadsword are the devs, the plans that were outlined last year are still in effect, including the new local server for the game.
Codemasters
SOUTHAM
Last Game Released: EA Sports WRC | Series: GRID series
Having picked up the rights to the WRC, that is World Rally Championship if you didn’t know, back in 2020 Codemasters finally released their first title in 2023. This was not their first rally game of course, but it was the first one with the licence since 2002’s Colin McRae Rally 3.
Given that the studio just pushed a game out the door, don’t expect much from them this year, except content and patches released for the game.
BIRMINGHAM
Last Game Released: F1 23 | Series: F1 Series
The team at Birmingham do one thing and one thing very well, they make F1 games. Last year saw F1 23 release, marking the 15th straight year of the series getting a game release from them, so they are nothing if not consistant.
What that consistency boils down to though is predictability and as such getting a new game this year is almost a lock. The only real question this time will be if Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are included, given that EA Sports WRC shipped without any last-gen support, it might be the F1 series turn, but we shall need to wait until April, which is when the teasing usually begins.
KUALA LUMPUR
This is the support studio for Codemasters, they provide assets, code and more for the games being developed at the main studios, as such they will appear in the credits as always, just not for their own game.
INDIA
This is Codemasters QA studio, where all the bugs are hopefully caught before games get sent out to players, again like Kuala Lumpur, expect to see their name in the credits of whatever game is next.
SLIGHTLY MAD STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Project CARS 3 | Series: Project CARS series, Need for Speed Shift series
Once a mighty studio in their own right, excluding Fast & Furious Crossroads, Slightly Mad Studios have since been downgraded to a support studio for Codemasters. Given that they have been shoved well and truly out of the spotlight, there is no telling what they are doing, outside of providing assistance, and that is unlikely to change in 2024.
EA Games
Cliffhanger Games
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
For the longest time this studio was just known as “Unnamed Seattle Studio”, but 2023 saw the full name get revealed. Also last year was the confirmation of the Black Panther rumours, that the studio was creating an all-new game featuring the Marvel comic character. We said last year that we should get confirmation on them doing the game this year and we did, but sadly we didn’t get much else. Without anything known about the game, other than its a 3rd person title, we will have to wait and see if they finally reveal details this year, the studio is now 3 years old, so it might be time.
CRITERION GAMES
Last Game Released: Need for Speed Unbound | Series: Burnout series, Need for Speed series
Oh Criterion, why won’t they let you be. Before EA bought up Criterion, the studio was known for two things Burnout and the Renderware game engine. Post the buy, they were given the chance to take the reigns of the Need for Speed series, which had become a bit of a joke at that point in time and we eventually got Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, a new game using an old name. The studio produced two games and then the series was taken away from them, given to a new studio EA had founded, but while that happened, Criterion was put onto supporting another series, Battlefield.
Yes the studio know for their car games, were given the job of assisting with a shooter series, it wasn’t the guns that they dealt with but the vehicles. The studio also did a bit of work on Star Wars, most noticeably with the PlayStation VR exclusive Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission and then finally, Need for Speed was given back to them. The problem was that Need for Speed Unbound was not exactly the game people were hoping for. What was Codemasters Cheshire was merged to Criterion to help make the game and then it just sought of appeared, less than 2 months after it was announced.
The studio was then revealed to be working on more Need for Speed, but disaster struck once again when they were reassigned to be an EA Sports team in early 2023. What that would have resulted in, we don’t know as the studio was never given a chance to reveal what they were working on, before again in September 2023, they were taken from EA Sports and assigned to EA Entertainment, specifically to support Battlefield, again. But Need for Speed fans need not worry too much, the studio has been given the freedom to create more Need for Speed, the only catch is that we have no idea what the hell is going on anymore. The Battlefield work is not just going to be more car tweaking, but as part of a larger Battlefield Universe, what that means we shall have to wait and see.
DICE
Last Game Released: Battlefield 2042 | Series: Battlefield series, Mirrors Edge series
Season 6 of content launched in October for Battlefield 2042, which saw 2023 overhauling its remaining maps, adding new game modes and generally trying to convince people to come back and play. As for what they are working on next, Season 7 is likely and should kick off in February, as the game seems to be content with its 4 month long seasons, but beyond that is mostly unknown.
Electronic Arts announced last year that there would be a Battlefield Universe, which might be something like the DC Extended Universe, where all the current films live. DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Ridgeline are all working on games within that world and while part of me wants to think they are all creating titles of their own that will tie into each other, I suspect its more of them all working together on one or two games. We know that DICE has spun up a second team to support Ridgeline Games (more on them later), but that does not account for their existing team. Byron Beede, formally the lead on all things Call of Duty at Activision has been given the role of GM of Battlefield, so it might be ok.
EA BATON ROUGE
Baton Rouge might be the home of Cajun and Creole, but it is also the home to EA’s largest QA facility, though that may not be the case anymore. It was reported that at the start of 2023, the studio housed some 500 staff doing QA work on a number of EA titles, but then just months into the new year, 200 staff were let go. There is a lot of back and forth on what was the cause, so I won’t go into it, but it was just the start of layoffs that hit the industry in 2023.
Regardless of that, the name of the staff still remaining will appear in credits on countless EA titles, as they are still doing QA and not anything else.
EA CHILLINGO
Last Game Released: WarFriends | Series: Tiny Troopers series
Known for their mobile games, like the ones they published like Cut the Rope and Angry Birds, the studio has been very quiet for the past few years, only updating the games they released in 2016.
There is a reason why they have been dead for the past 8 years, outside of a few updates, the studio no longer exists, as they were officially dissolved in June 2023. The process began back in 2021, but only completed in June of last year, so this will be the final time this studio appears on the list.
EA GALWAY
Galway is a studio in name only, the group is the support arm of the company both in QA for games, like Baton Rouge and support for the various digital platforms that the company uses to make games. They are also the support centre for customers who buy things online via EA, so the odds of them having a game are slim.
EA GOTHENBURG
Last Game Released: Need for Speed Heat | Series: Need for Speed series
The former home of Need for Speed, before it went back to Criterion, EA Gothenburg has been turned from a game development studio, into a tech development studio. What this means is that they work on the Frostbite engine and provide support to the studios that use it. With this change it is unlikely that we will see a game from them any time soon.
EA KOREA
Last Game Released: FC Mobile | Series: FC Online
As was expected last year, with the announcement of no more FIFA licence, EA Korea have created updates to their games to bring the new EA Sports FC branding to them, for both FC Mobile and FC Online. That last one is an Asian exclusive release, for China, Thailand and Vietnam.
The studio is fairly consistent with updates to their games, but they also don’t release new numbered versions each year, so expect to see them updating their games and not much else in 2024. Fun note, the studio has an official blog, which has some great stories on it, if you can read Korean.
FULL CIRCLE
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
They are making skate. though it seems they are making it at the same pace a skater has when they go up a steep hill, that is very slowly. The studio has been somewhat transparent in their process, with a number of Board Room presentations, the problem is the last one was in August 2023.
As for when the game is coming, the studio has confirmed it will release before 2050, I am not kidding they have confirmed that. Check out the video below to see what the studio has to say to player comments.
MAXIS
Last Game Released: The Sims 4 | Series: The Sims series, SimCity series
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of The Sims 4, as it was released in 2014 and since then there have been countless content packs, expansion packs and a shift to free-to-play. We have known for quite a while that the studio has more in the works than just more content packs, Project Rene being the big thing. But before we look at that, just a quick recap of 2023, there were three content packs released last year, Growing Together, Horse Ranch and For Rest. In addition to those larger updates, there was a single Stuff Pack and 8 Kits released for the game.
So what is next for the studio? Project Rene is going to be a massive focus, but it would not surprise me to see an expansion pack or even a few game packs arrive for The Sims 4. Project Rene is almost approaching 2 years since it was first revealed and in that time the studio has been hard at work on it, but also have been inviting in select fans of the series, in order to provide feedback as things are created. There is no release window for the game yet, which is being built for PC, consoles and mobile all at once, as it will be the same game on all, but the studio has plenty of jobs to fill still. Given their last development update on it was back in June 2023 and the amount of roles to fill, its unlikely we learn to much more on this in 2024.
MOTIVE STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Dead Space | Series: Star Wars Squadrons
2023 kicked off with a bang for Motive Studios as they finally pushed their Dead Space remake out the door, to almost universal acclaim. Once that was done though, the studio went radio silent on their work, which we know to be Iron Man.
As for the status of that game well there isn’t a lot that we know. We do know that the studio is giving Frostbite some medical treatment and replacing EA’s own game engine for Unreal Engine 5. Patrick Klaus, Motive General Manager explained the change by stating the following:
Meanwhile, we’ve chosen Unreal Engine 5 as our game engine, in order to empower the dev team to work their magic and create something really special.
Now that is a weird statement, as it implies that Dead Space or any other game made on Frostbite is not that good, but hey maybe they just needed something that wasn’t possible with it, which when combined with the news of Frostbite getting an overhaul in December 2023, seems even weirder. Of course, that news came out in October, so things will have changed after it, but alongside the engine news we learnt that the game was “early in pre-production“ so anything on it this year is unlikely.
POGO STUDIOS
Last Game Released: RISK Domination | Series: Countless games
Pogo.com is a website that allows players to login and enjoy dozens of games, from Mahjong to Solitaire, puzzlers and hidden object titles. The site has been in operation for years now and shows no signs of slowing down.
Given they are usually quite on new games, the general updates to existing games and such will still come, but that is about all we can expect.
POPCAP GAMES
Last Game Released: Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville | Series: Bejeweled series, Peggle series, Plants Vs Zombies series
It has been a number of years since PopCap Games released a new game, not counting the recent Switch port of Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, which itself came out in 2019 originally anyway. Around the same time that it released originally, the first version of Plants vs Zombies 3 was released, in a beta form and then 15 months later it was taken offline. In 2021 the game came back overhauled and taking on board player feedback and it slowly started to gain more regions for its testing, but the last update was in October 2022.
In the 15 months since that date, there hasn’t be any updates to the game, the official site or anything on social, at least that I could find. There is honestly no clue what the hell is happening with this game and lets face it, when a mobile game takes 5 years to make, there has to be bigger issues going on somewhere.
RESPAWN ENTERTAINMENT
Last Game Released: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Series: Titanfall series, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi series
2023 was a big year for Respawn, not only did they get a new Star Wars game out and kept releasing updates for Apex Legends, but they announced a host of new Star Wars games to come. But then of course, Jedi Survivor released and people were not happy, the game was reported to be buggy, crashes were frequent and whole host of other issues. While the games director, Stig Asmussen, confirmed a 3rd game was coming he up and left the studio in September 2023.
So what will the studio bring to players in 2024? Honestly its hard to tell where things are at with them, first lets address Apex Legends, the series will turn 5 years of age and while there is nothing announced for it, they could host some sort of big event. The studio has three locations, one was created in Wisconsin last year, specifically to keep Apex Legends going, with the plan for 10 to 15 years being identified. It is possible that Jedi Survivor will get more updates on the next-gen consoles and PC, but don’t forget, the game is also coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for some reason. There are also two more Star Wars games on the way, a new first-person shooter and the second being the strategy game. Since their reveal in January 2022, there has been no news on either of the games. Will the studio have new things this year, yes 100% for sure, the bigger question is for what.
RIPPLE EFFECT STUDIO
Last Game Released: Battlefield 2042 | Series: Battlefield series
Not a known name, at least under this one, Ripple Effect are the studio behind the impressive Battlefield Portal. They have been supporting that mode since it released alongside the rest of Battlefield 2042, but beyond that, there isn’t much they are doing, at least publicly.
We do know that as apart of this Battlefield Universe of games, Ripple Effect is working on something new, but that is all we have been given. The studio is hiring, with a host of roles mostly around art, but there was one job that I found that had me worried, its “Senior Game Designer (Economy)”. Now at face value, maybe its about soldiers trying to complete their mission without any resources, so they had to a black market to buy goods, which would be cool and maybe a good starting point for Battlefield Bad Company 3. Sadly, as this is EA and they love their microtransactions, its likely to have more to do with in-game purchases, which could mean a Fortnite/Warzone type experience. Given that there is no public information, its hard to guess which way the studio is facing right now, but I have hope they know what they are doing.
RIDGELINE GAMES
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
The second youngest studio from EA and one built up to be creating Battlefield content, specifically an all-new single player game. The studio was founded by Marcus Lehto, who is the co-creator of Halo, perhaps you heard of that, so the man knows a thing or two about story shooters. His last game within the Halo sphere was Halo Reach, which people love for its story and gameplay, so if any portion of that games soul can be brought I am all for it.
We know the studio is making a narrative single player game, which DICE is helping with, but that is all we know. There are no timelines for the release on this one, nor platforms or even project names, it is all hush hush. As I said for Ripple Effect, a Battlefield Bad Company 3 could be great, but given the series can take place at anytime it wants, something all new would be delightful.
EA Sports
EA COLOGNE
This is the headquarters for EA in Europe and while their active development is small, they do hold a host of folks in house for work on things like FIFA. There isn’t any big game expected from them this year, as always.
EA MADRID
Much like Cologne, game development here is more supportive than creative, but that is not to say that don’t contribute in meaningful ways. The studio does creation of sports content, usually in the way of testers, but beyond that, they are most known as the localisation office, converting the sports games you know, into languages you may not.
EA ROMANIA
Last Game Released: NHL 24 | Series: EA Sports FC, NHL series
One half of a pair of twin studios, the Romania branch works on the same series as Vancouver, both on the EA Sports FC series, formally FIFA and the NHL series. 2023 saw them create modes for both games, as well as provide QA for them as well.
Given the series they work on a cyclical, there is very little chance that the studio will do anything different in 2024. The studio has a ton of open roles across a number of disciplines, but most of them list that they are for EA Sports FC. Sadly, while they work on the big series for EA, they are not the lead studio, so nothing else should come from them, but being surprised would not be the worth thing.
EA TIBURON
Last Game Released: Madden NFL 24 | Series: Madden NFL series, PGA Tour series
Tiburon is likely the place people know as where the Madden games are made, it is also the newest site location for EA Sports, as the studio has been in their new home for 20 months, as they moved in back in March 2022. Last year saw them release their annual Madden title but also EA Sports PGA Tour, the first new Golf game in 8 years, from EA at least.
Now while the studio will of course release a new Madden NFL entry this year, its like clockwork at this point, the bigger question is if it will drop last gen consoles. The series has seen 4 years now of last gen and current gen being supported, but with EA Sports WRC being purely current gen, it might be the push the studio needs to drop last gen from here. Sadly only time will tell if that is the case, in the mean time we will have to speculate on what else they might be cooking. Their return to PGA didn’t get officially revealed until February last year and then released in April, which could be the same for this year, if they are going for back to back entries.
The studio has developed non-sports games in the past, with title like Superman Returns and Goldeneye Rogue Agent for the Nintendo DS, so something like that is possible. However based on the jobs they are looking to fill, with descriptions for them as “American Football” and “New Football Experiences” I wouldn’t bank on that. Still we will see them in 2024 like normal, the only real question is how many times we will.
EA VANCOUVER
Last Game Released: EA Sports UFC 5 | Series: EA Sports FC series, NHL series, EA Sports UFC series
Like Tiburon and Romania, Vancouver is a clockwork studio, since 2011 they have released Soccer and NHL titles, with the occasional other sport thrown in for good measure. 2023 saw them release EA Sports FC, formally known as FIFA, NHL 23 and EA Sports UFC 5, that last one being the first title in a few years.
2024 will see them release at least two of those three games again, not UFC though, with their usual release windows likely as well. I would love to see the studio branch out into more sports though, in the past they have done Grand Slam Tennis, Fight Night and even NBA. On the less serious side, they have also done things like FIFA Street, but with Volta mixed into the main series, that likely won’t return, however the SSX series would be ideal to make a comeback, the last entry was now 12 years ago. Either way, we shall see their name on EA Sports FC and NHL, but maybe something more.
METALHEAD STudio
Last Game Released: Super Mega Baseball 4 | Series: Super Mega Baseball series
The studio makes one series, Super Mega Baseball and 2023 saw them release the 4th entry in that series. Given they spend a few years between each release, it is not a studio we should hear much from, if anything, in 2024.
So there you go, the EA studios. You may have noticed that we don’t have the mobile studios listed this year, honestly that was due to them not doing anything new. FireMonkeys, the Australian developers are putting in new cars to their Need for Speed game and have been for years. Tracktwenty Studios have been updating SimCity Build It with more content, adding trains in 2023 and Red Crow are still putting content into The Simpsons: Tapped Out. Given that they all seem content to just add more content to their freemium titles, we opted not to include them this year.
But for the rest, how do you think we did? Any thoughts of your own, be sure to let us know.
