Electronic Arts’ Japan-based studio will be shut down, after only three years and one produced game–Theme Park DS. Two other titles for Nintendo’s handheld, Sim City DS and Dragon Zakura DS, are still in the works and will continue to be developed by other companies under the EA umbrella. According to an EA spokesperson speaking to 1UP, "We’re moving it under our EA Partners model, focusing on working with external Japanese developers."
DS fans can rest assured that the planned titles will be launched as originally scheduled. The EA rep said, "It’s important to note that the development that was underway in Japan for the three products for the DS–Theme Park DS, Sim City DS,and Dragon Zakura DS–continues, so those titles don’t go away, they’re still very much part of our release plans."
While no specific reason was given as to why EA Japan was closed, it is reasonable to assume that budget concerns or the quality of the games were not up to the standards of EA.
