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EA has announced that it is opening a new studio in the Seattle area, headed up by former Monolith Productions vice president and studio head Kevin Stephens.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, while the studio is yet to be named it will be working on an open-world action game adventure game. Stephens will be joined at the new studio by Samantha Ryan, who also worked with Stephens at Monolith and its eventual parent company Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.
In a statement, EA chief studios officer Laura Miele said “Kevin joining forces with Samantha and the incredibly talented teams at Electronic Arts adds even more depth to our creative collective. 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.”
It looks like it may be some time before we hear more on this open world project though, with Ryan confirming they’re still working out the nuts and bolts of the studio itself: “We’re still figuring out a lot of foundational questions: How big? What games? How fast to grow? Kevin and I both know how important it is to get the foundations of any studio ‘right’ and he’ll take his time to figure it all out. When you rush, you don’t give yourself time to be thoughtful. Why rush?”
“I know Kevin well. I know the kind of quality team he will build and the kinds of amazing games he will deliver. I don’t need him to rush to prove anything to me! I want things done right and know that Kevin will build an amazing group.” EA apparently promise to tell us more on Stephens new studio later in the year.
