Electronic Arts Acquires Metalhead Software, Bringing Baseball to EA Sports

[btarunr]

Electronic Arts Inc., a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment and sports gaming, announced the acquisition of Metalhead Software, a talented Canada-based video game studio and developer of the fan-favorite Super Mega Baseball franchise. EA SPORTS and Metalhead are teaming up to grow the Super Mega Baseball franchise as well as develop new gaming and sports experiences for players worldwide.

Metalhead co-founders Scott Drader and Christian Zuger started the company in 2009, and have since developed Super Mega Baseball into a highly rated and beloved gaming franchise, with an enthusiastic and loyal community. The Metalhead team will continue to work out of their Victoria, BC studio while partnering with the global EA SPORTS team to expand the Super Mega Baseball franchise as well as deliver new and engaging entertainment and sports experiences.



"We're all players of Super Mega Baseball, and we've long admired the work of the Metalhead team. It's a unique and beloved franchise among sports gamers - the balance and depth of gameplay, and the unique style of the content, makes it super fun to play with friends. We look forward to supporting and investing in the team so they can continue to build out more amazing games that delight sports fans around the world," said Cam Weber, EA SPORTS EVP and GM. "EA SPORTS continues to expand, and we're deeply excited to create more unique and interactive experiences that blur the lines between sports and entertainment."

"Our team has worked hard over the years to refine a formula that uniquely mixes an arcade style with deep on-field gameplay and innovative co-operative and competitive multiplayer experiences," said Scott Drader, Co-Founder of Metalhead Software. "In this next chapter, we're excited to leverage EA's power and reach to bring our titles to a broader audience and to take some ambitious next steps in the development of our future titles."

This move is the latest in a series of significant EA SPORTS growth and expansion announcements including EA SPORTS College Football, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR and the F1 franchise now published by EA SPORTS through EA's Codemasters acquisition. EA SPORTS is at the center of the sports experience for hundreds of millions of sports fans worldwide. Across its unparalleled portfolio, including FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL and UFC, as well as ongoing live service offerings on PC and mobile, EA SPORTS brings players closer to the sports, teams, and leagues they love.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. EA SPORTS will reveal more about Metalhead and specific product plans in the future.

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[watzupken]

Unfortunately, I am expecting future release to be laden with micro transactions/ loot boxes, which is typical of EA.

 

[AsRock]

Metalhead co-founders Scott Drader and Christian Zuger started the company in 2009, and have since developed Super Mega Baseball into a highly rated and beloved gaming franchise, with an enthusiastic and loyal community.

They not love the company too ?, loyal community ?, i bet they are over the moon about it or got their heads in the sand as surly they noticed what happens when company's fall in the grasps of company's like EA.

To me it sounds more like they just sellouts.

 

[BArms]

Oh well, if you're getting bought by EA, chances are your game company didn't have much creativity left in it anyway.

 

[HisDivineOrder]

Fascinating how these companies buy developers, feed them dreams, crush their dreams, reduce their employees to numbers, move their development to the same tired franchises, and then quietly, one cold Friday, kill the developer and put everyone out of business.

Then they repeat this cycle for several quarters until they realize they suddenly have no developers or franchises in active development. Whoops.

So then they buy some more and start the same cycle over again.

And there are developers that knowingly let themselves be bought even to this very day.

 

[watzupken]

Fascinating how these companies buy developers, feed them dreams, crush their dreams, reduce their employees to numbers, move their development to the same tired franchises, and then quietly, one cold Friday, kill the developer and put everyone out of business.

Then they repeat this cycle for several quarters until they realize they suddenly have no developers or franchises in active development. Whoops.

So then they buy some more and start the same cycle over again.

And there are developers that knowingly let themselves be bought even to this very day.

I think that is the reality man. When you run out of new ideas, you go out there to buy smaller developers to take over their franchise, and stir up their stagnent market. When that starts dying down, you go out there and do the same.

Owners of these game studios are also profiteers. If the likes of EA offers them a fat cheque, which is always the case, no reason why they won't take it. After all, they can start another game studio, rinse and repeat. That's my opinion.