EA has shuttered Visceral Games, the studio best known for creating Dead Space and releasing the spin-off Battlefield: Hardline. The move has come around as the publisher pushes the Star Wars game that the developer was working on in a new direction. Employees have been given three weeks to put together their portfolios and find jobs within or outside of the company.
Executive vice president Patrick Soderlund revealed that the developer was being shut down as the duties for working on the untitled Star Wars game are passed to EA Vancouver and other internal studios.
“Our Visceral studio has been developing an action-adventure title set in the Star Wars universe. In its current form, it was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure game. Throughout the development process, we have been testing the game concept with players, listening to the feedback about what and how they want to play, and closely tracking fundamental shifts in the marketplace.
“It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design. We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and re-imagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore.”
Visceral Games began working on the Star Wars title back when EA first licensed the rights to create games based on the franchise from Disney. Directed by Uncharted writer and producer Amy Hennig, it has seen several delays and significant changes throughout its development.
