Former Monolith Productions VP and studio head, Kevin Stephens, has been tapped by Electronic Arts to lead a new studio dedicated to open-world action-adventure games. The unnamed studio is based in Seattle, where Stephens will join fellow Monolith alumni, Samantha Ryan.
“Kevin joining forces with Samantha and the incredibly talented teams at Electronic Arts adds even more depth to our creative collective,” EA chief studios officer Laura Miele told Games Industry. “Kevin is an exceptionally talented game developer leader and we look forward to supporting him while he builds his team. As someone known for his open world action-adventure games, we know players will be eagerly awaiting more details on this new studio and its projects.”
In a statement provided to Games Industry, Ryan said that action-adventure is a “hugely important” genre – one that EA is keen to continue exploring.
“Players and fans of those games are so passionate and it’s also one of my personal favorite genres,” Ryan added. “We’ve also recently had success with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and we would love to entertain more fans with similar interests.”
According to Ryan, EA is still figuring out what kind of games the studio will produce within the genre.
“We’re still figuring out a lot of foundational questions,” she continued. “How big? What games? How fast to grow? Kevin and I both know how important it is to get the foundations of any studio ‘right’ and he’ll take his time to figure it all out. When you rush, you don’t give yourself time to be thoughtful. Why rush?”
It’s safe to say that the studio’s first project is a ways off.
[Source: Games Industry]
