Respawn gaat overgekocht worden door EA. De studio achter Titanfall, een game die werd uitgegeven door Electronic Arts, krijgt 151 miljoen dollar in direct geld waarna er 164 miljoen aan investeringen aan werknemers betaald gaat worden over een periode van vier jaar. Wanneer het bedrijf bepaalde doelen haalt voor 2022, krijgt Respawn nog eens 140 miljoen.
Volgens EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson past de studio helemaal bij dat wat EA wil. Nieuwe, innovatieve ervaringen. Respawn kwam origineel uit oprichters van Infinity Ward, de studio die ons Call of Duty bracht. De studio werkt nu aan een nieuwe Titanfall, een VR-ervaring en is bezig met een game in het Star Wars-universum. Vince Zampella, oprichter Respawn:
We started Respawn with the goal to create a studio with some of the best talent in the industry and be the #1 developer of innovative games in the world. We’ve had success as an independent company but as we look to how we want to compete in the future, and the challenges that face us in a rapidly changing landscape, now is the time for us to combine forces with a global industry leader like EA.
While it wasn’t necessary, going with EA made a lot of sense. With Titanfall and Star Wars, EA has been a great development partner that supports us and doesn’t interfere with our process for making games or studio culture. EA will provide us with more resources, access to new technologies, and expertise that we can tap into to that will help us make better games, and Respawn will retain the same creative freedom and culture we’ve always had. We’ve been talking closely with the leadership at EA and we share their values and vision for the future of being a developer-focused company that puts the players first.
I will still be running things at Respawn and will also be a part of the studio leadership team at EA. There will be no layoffs or major organization changes within Respawn. All games currently in development are continuing as planned.
This is a great next step for Respawn, EA, and our players. Joining with EA will give us the resources and support we need to grow and have long term success while still keeping our culture and creative freedom. We believe this is an opportunity to achieve more together through the unique strengths we each bring to the table.
