EA merges IronMonkey and Firemint mobile studios
Firemonkeys wants to be "seen as a creative entity, not simply a porting house."
EA will merge two mobile studios, Firemint and Iron Monkey, to form new team Firemonkeys.
"This is simply the most practical way to be successful, for both Iron Monkey and Firemint," Tony Lay, the GM of Iron Monkey, told GameSpot
"It wasn't our original intention to merge, but since we work in the same building and we often help each other out on projects it made a lot of sense."
The new team will be based at EA Melbourne and will continue work on the teams combined back catalogue, which includes Mass Effect Infiltrator, Flight Control and The Sims FreePlay, as well as new IP.
"We want to sit shoulder to shoulder with EA studios like DICE and Criterion"
"We want to sit shoulder to shoulder with EA studios like DICE and Criterion, and we'll get there by having IP ownership, whether we create our own or take ownership of an existing one. In the immediate future, this means making sure all Firemonkeys titles are of the same quality and standard as existing Firemint and Iron Monkey titles. I want us to be seen as a creative entity, not simply a porting house."
EA acquired Firemint in May 2011. The merger will, according to EA, make EA Melbourne Australia's biggest games development studio.
"Ultimately, the name Firemonkeys respects both the studios' legacy. People can still judge us by the products we make. Iron Monkey has always retained creative control over the games we make and that won't change. All this merger means is that we can be a lot more efficient in the way we do business. We can share resources and knowledge with Firemint and become the best of the breed in mobile development."