EA Finalizes BioWare, Pandemic Takeover

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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EA Finalizes BioWare, Pandemic Takeover


Pandemic Studios [http://www.ea.com].

As a result of the studios' move to the EA Games label, BioWare's Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk and Pandemic's Andrew Goldman and Josh Resnick have each been named as Vice Presidents within EA ; Muzyka and Zeschuk will also serve as Co-General Managers of BioWare Corp., while Goldman and Resnick will hold the same titles for Pandemic. Greg Borrud has also been name an EA Vice President, and will take over as Chief Production Officer at Pandemic. As part of the deal [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/77860], the five newly-named vice presidents will receive approximately 2.8 million shares of EA's common stock as retention and performance incentives.

"BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios are two world-class studios and bring strong, highly compatible cultures of creative excellence to the EA Games Label," said EA Games President Frank Gibeau. "Their strengths in the RPG, action and adventure genres further broadens EA's portfolio, and reinforces our commitment to creating the world's greatest interactive entertainment."

"EA has shown great respect for the creative integrity of our studios and BioWare's core values of quality in our workplace, quality in our products, and entrepreneurship," BioWare's Muzyka said. "Operating as a city-state within the larger EA studio family, our talented teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin are empowered to continue delivering powerful emotional experiences through our story-driven games."

Pandemic's Resnick added, "Pandemic Studios prides itself upon its creative independence while being the best place for top industry talent to work. These values continue to be upheld by all levels of EA and we couldn't be more excited about the future of our studio and our games."


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Northern

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Dec 1, 2007
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I'm not sure if I like this. EA buying other companies, that's not something that makes me all that happy. It makes me wonder what will happen to the masters behind my Christmas game of choice: Mass Effect. However, I will now have to stop being interested in the companies behind my game, but be more intrigued about the people behind a games development. As soon all games will come with the big EA logo. I'm not saying I don't like EA. I have thoroughly enjoyed quite a few of their console games, such as Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.

I just don't like to see bigger companies buying out smaller ones ... But on the other hand, it secures the jobs of the people behind the games I like to see in production. I am against this initially, but want to know how this merge (acquisition) develops in the future.
 

Blayze

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Dec 19, 2007
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When they start to refer to their individual acquisitions as "city-states", I can't help but get the feeling that EA is the Gelatinous Cube of the gaming industry. I've never really liked them, if only for the omnipresent advertising (That sodding logo gets everywhere these days).

That said, part of me wants EA to absorb as many smaller companies as possible, if only to see what happens. Is anybody taking bets on the next company to join the EA fold? I'm voting for Obsidian.