Electronic Arts has announced it is merging some of its game development studios and putting them under one banner, EA Worldwide Studios. As part of this change, the BioWare studios will get a new leader.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson described why the company is making this change:
At a time when players are engaged in games across more devices, the tenets of making great HD and mobile experiences are converging. Our ability to blend our strengths to deliver amazing games across genres, geographies and platforms, in a networked environment, is central to our future success. EA Worldwide Studios will bring together our top creative talent in all of our great studios to work on EA's powerful brand portfolio and new IP.
Patrick Söderlund, who previously co-founded Battlefield developer DICE and later became executive vice president of EA Games, will be in charge of EA Worldwide Studios. The new group will include EA Mobile and Maxis, which will continue to be lead by Samantha Ryan, who will report to Söderlund. Ryan will also become the new head of EA's BioWare studios.
Finally, the team behind the Frostbite game engine, which is used in many of EA's games, including its Battlefield titles, will now be working under the company's Technology division, lead by its CTO Ken Moss.
