EA merging BioWare Montreal with Motive
Combined team has over 100 new hires, will be working on Jade Raymond's new IP
Electronic Arts has confirmed that BioWare Montreal is being merged into Motive Studios.
Speculation about such a merger first began after the publisher seconded several staff from the Mass Effect Andromeda developer to Motive earlier this year. The move was deemed a response to the poor reception Andromeda received and would bulk up the team's working on Star Wars Battlefront 2.
TechRaptor reports CFO Blake Jorgensen confirmed the publisher's plans for both studios during its most recent quarterly conference call. Staff from BioWare Montreal and EA Motive are now based in the same studio.
"We're building out a new studio in Montreal, as we've told everyone," he explained. "And we've hired over 100 people into that studio that are brand-new to EA. This is to build the new IP around Jade Raymond's team that she's been building. I was in that studio last month. And it's a wonderful new addition to our team. And we brought our BioWare Montreal team into that same facility."
The BioWare team is expected to continue working on updates and content for Mass Effect Andromeda, although when the staff originally moved over it was revealed the series has been placed on hold for now.
BioWare's other studios are focusing on Anthem, the sci-fi multiplayer outing revealed at E3 2017. The developer also recently revealed that general manager Casey Hudson has returned to the firm after three years.
EA Motive, meanwhile, is one of several studios working on Star Wars Battlefront 2, as well as an unannounced Star Wars title headed up by Uncharted director Amy Hennig. Earlier this year, the developer hired Portal designer Kim Swift.