As one of the biggest video game publishers in the business, Electronic Arts is always looking to expand and bring in new talent to provide new or existing IPs much needed direction. EA is already continuing this ethos on the studio-side as it begins setting up its newest development studio in Seattle, Washington under former Monolith Productions studio head Kevin Stephens. It is now set to continue on the talent-side as one of the original minds behind Halo is joining EA and growing its presence in Seattle.
Electronic Arts announced it would be opening the Seattle-based studio in May 2021 under Stephens' lead for the development of a new open-world action-adventure game. Stephens was tapped to lead because of his history at Monolith, specifically working on the Lord of the Rings games Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. It is believed the studio's name will be Neon Black Studios based on EA's 2021 trademark filings.
Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has also announced on Twitter a move to Seattle as he is the newest high-profile industry veteran to join EA. Lehto, who is also known as the "father of Master Chief," said he is joining EA as its newest game director helping build "a new studio" developing first-person shooters under EA's banner. However, he did not say anything about the first game he will be overseeing.
EA confirmed in a statement to Gamespot Lehto's studio will be "distinct" from Stephens' studio given the planned focus on FPS games for the former, though both "may eventually share office space."
Lehto's history in the games industry is intrinsically tied to his time at Bungie from 1997 to 2012 where he was one of the co-creators of Halo: Combat Evolved and created Master Chief's now-iconic appearance. Following the first game's success, he would serve as the art director for Bungie's subsequent Halo games through 2010's Halo: Reach. He then helped lead Destiny's early development before leaving the studio in 2012.
He went on to open his own independent studio, V1 Interactive, in 2014. The studio's only game, Disintegration, was released in June 2020 but had its multiplayer component shut down in November 2020. V1 Interactive ultimately closed its doors in March 2021.
Despite V1 Interactive's closure, Lehto's history with the Halo series makes him an ideal choice to oversee FPS development at EA's second new Seattle studio. Halo is widely regarded as the series responsible for popularizing the FPS genre on console thanks to its responsive gameplay and intuitive controls. It just remains to be seen whether Lehto will be working on an existing IP or if his first game with EA will be an original title.
Source: GameSpot