On November 9th, Electronic Arts announced its decision to acquire Respawn Entertainment, a development studio that is best known for its work on the Titanfall series.
In addition to being integrated into EA's Worldwide Studios organization, Respawn will receive $151 million in cash, up to $164 million in "restricted stock units to employees," and a variable cash reward of up to $140 million for reaching certain "performance milestones" in the development of future game titles until the end of 2022.
In layman's terms, Respawn will be getting a lot of money in exchange for being formally put under the EA umbrella. Naturally, Respawn accepted this offer, and as of December 1, 2017, it is officially a part of the EA family.
Vince Zampella, the CEO of Respawn Entertainment and one of the original creators of the Call of Duty series, stated:
We started Respawn with the goal to create a studio with some of the best talent in the industry, and to be a top developer of innovative games. We felt that now was the time to join an industry leader that brings the resources and support we need for long-term success, while still keeping our culture and creative freedom.
In addition, Zampella believes that:
EA has been a great partner over the years with Titanfall and Titanfall 2, and we're excited to combine our strengths. This is a great next step for Respawn, EA, and our players.
Currently, Respawn is working on an untitled first-person shooter for the Oculus Rift with a release date set for 2019. Respawn is also working on a third-person action-adventure Star Wars game, though as one can imagine, the details on that project are even more scarce.
Development on a third Titanfall game is expected to continue, but only time will tell what kind of influence will Electronic Arts have on the game's post-launch monetization scheme (i.e. microtransactions, loot boxes, etc.).
