In a recent bizarre turn of events, EA has announced that they will be acquiring development studio, Respawn Entertainment. This was announced today by EA. The deal comes to the sum of $455 million dollars, in the form of cash, equality, and performance milestones payments.
This will also include bonuses tied to review scores for Titanfall 3 and Star Wars, on Metacritic. Yes, you read that correctly. In what is definitely a first, someone will either get some extra cash in their pocket if their game does well. Talk about an incentive to make it the best it can be. At the same time, this confirms that we will indeed see a Titanfall 3.
No word if Respawn Entertainment will also be working on the now in limbo Star Wars title from EA.
We heard about EA buying Respawn last week but didn't want to report it until we were 100% sure. The contract, which I've seen, includes Metacritic-tied bonuses for Titanfall 3 and Star Wars.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 9, 2017
This move will bring both Respawn Entertainment and their Titanfall IPs, over to the EA brand. Quite fitting as EA has published both titles across the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, and PC. This means that EA will own several high profile gaming IPs, bringing Titanfall under the same roof as Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront. Oddly enough, the very same titles that were in direct competition with Titanfall 2.
“We’ve seen firsthand the world-class caliber of Respawn as a development studio with incredible vision, deep talent and an inspiring creative mindset,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. “Our longtime partnership is grounded in a shared desire to push the boundaries and deliver extraordinary and innovative new experiences for players around the world. Together, we’ve brought this to life in the Titanfall franchise, and now with the Respawn team joining EA, we have exciting plans to accomplish even more amazing things in the future.”
The CEO of Respawn Entertainment is positive that the sale will beneficial for both sides and feels that this acquisition is the next step for them.
“We started Respawn with the goal to create a studio with some of the best talent in the industry, and to be a top developer of innovative games,” said Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment. “We felt that now was the time to join an industry leader that brings the resources and support we need for long term success, while still keeping our culture and creative freedom. EA has been a great partner over the years with Titanfalland Titanfall 2, and we’re excited to combine our strengths. This is a great next step for Respawn, EA, and our players.”
It’s worth mentioning that it was EA that helped get Respawn Entertainment off the ground. The studio was formed after the falling out between Activision, Vince Zampella, and Jason West. This resulted in them being fired from Infinity Ward, the original studio behind the Call of Duty series.
As a gamer and someone who’s seen EA destroy several development studios. Ones that produced games that I enjoyed, I can only hope that EA doesn’t put the screws to Respawn Entertainment. They have a lot of good people that care about games that put out. Titanfall 2 is a big example, a fantastic game that was overshadowed. So here’s to hoping that nothing but good comes out of this.
On the same token, you have to wonder what the former team members of Visceral Games are thinking right about now. I know this is very painful to see their team dismantled, only for a new team to being acquired not to long after.
