EA Officially Announces Pandemic Closure
- Scribbled on November 17th, 2009 by Jonah Falcon
- Filed in Industry News, Legal Brief
Electronic Arts has confirmed the closure of Pandemic Studios, as expected. The developer of Mercenaries, Full Spectrum Warrior, and Star Wars: Battlefront, among other titles, will be “consolidated” with the publisher.
EA says the studio consolidation is intended to “accelerate our transformation to a direct-to-consumer digital model, and to better manage our cost structure.”
There are some silver linings to the closure, as more focus is being paid to such games as a new Medal of Honor reboot (which EA is promising is “stunning”) and Command & Conquer 4.
It’s also noted that Might and Magic creator Jon Van Caneghem, who recently “transitioned out” of his role as president of Trion World Networks, has joined EA to lead the Command and Conquer brand with “a new digital model that is going to re-ignite the fan base for this franchise.”
EA also promises that the popular Pandemic IPs are going nowhere, though 200 or so Pandemic employees will be.
Let us know what you think.
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:17 am
[...] for its December 4, 2009 release date. Pandemic Studios has without a doubt had a rough week, with EA announcing its closure, people being relocated and even losing their jobs. But the studio is not to evanesce without [...]