EA opening new studio led by former Shadow of Mordor exec

Following its acquisition of British developer Codemasters, it looks like EA is once again expanding its portfolio of developers - as the company is launching a new studio led by former Monolith Productions VP Kevin Stephens.

The studio doesn't yet have a name, but we do know it will be based in the Seattle area and will work on an open-world action-adventure game (via GamesIndustry.biz). During his time at Monolith Stephens oversaw projects such as Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, so he's had plenty of experience working with this genre.

Stephens will be reunited with EA senior VP and group general manager Samantha Ryan, who was formerly president of Monolith and worked with Stephens. Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz that "the action-adventure space is a hugely important genre in our industry, and to us at EA.

"Players and fans of those games are so passionate and it's also one of my personal favourite genres. We've also recently had success with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and we would love to entertain more fans with similar interests."

Ryan added that plenty of "foundational questions" are still being figured out about the studio: including its size, which games it will work on, speed of growth, and whether it will employ remote workers. "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?"

We also don't yet know if the studio will work on new IP or existing EA franchises, but apparently we should hear more details about the studio in the autumn. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing more about the studio - once it's ready to step out of the shadows, I guess.