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EA has announced that two Australian mobile game developers, Firemint and IronMonkey, will merge to become one studio under the new moniker Firemonkeys.
EA believes that merging the two mobile studios will "create an even more focused team of passionate individuals who are dedicated to developing high-quality mobile game experiences."
The general manager of IronMonkey, Tony Lay, has told Gamespot that it was not EA's decision to merge the studios - rather, it was decided after talks between himself and the executive producer of Firemint, Rob Murray.
Lay said the merger was "simply the most practical way to be successful, for both IronMonkey and Firemint." While they never intentionally sought out a merger, the fact that they work in the same building and "often help each other out on projects [meant] it made a lot of sense."
Lay revealed that the only real risk that comes from the merge would come down to audience and legacy, however "the name Firemonkeys respects both the studios' legacy. People can still judge us by the products we make."
Both companies will still retain control over separate projects, but with the merge they will collaborate on new games. Murray has said of the merger: "IronMonkey and Firemint have solid reputations for producing well-known games and we are excited to have the opportunity to share best practices, technology and resources."
"All this merger means is that we can be a lot more efficient in the way we do business," says Lay. "We can share resources and knowledge with Firemint and become the best of the breed in mobile development."
