Yesterday everyone talked about EA milking franchises for as much as they can, and the possible plans to do so with Spore. Today, people are talking about EA again-but for an entirely different reason.
Earlier this afternoon, EA announced two big new deals they signed with two very respected developers: Grasshopper Manufacture, and Epic Games.
Grasshopper Manufacture, best known for their enigmatic CEO Goichi Suda (Suda 51), is a developer of some…unique titles. Most recently creating No More Heroes for the Wii, the new game will be produced by the legendary Shinji Mikami, and directed by Suda 51. "Grasshopper Manufacture is excited to work with EA Partners to bring our new title to gamers around the world," said Suda. "They are a great partner who shares our commitment to quality and innovation while respecting our independence as a studio, which is very empowering."
In addition to bringing Suda’s next game to the 360, PC, PS3, and Wii, EA also announced the rights to Epic Games’ next title, an original IP slated for release on the 360, PS3, and PC. The new action title is being developed by the People Can Fly studio in Poland, and both Mark Rein and EA are excited to be working together.
With the upcoming release of Spore, the recent release of Madden, and the news of new titles from Epic and Grasshopper being published by EA, EA is certainly trying their hardest to take their title of Biggest Third Party Publisher back from Activision.
