EA forms new studio headed by Middle-earth: Shadow of War dev

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The now unnamed studio is working on an open-world action-adventure game

Middle-earth: Shadow of War
(Image credit: WB Games)

EA is forming a new studio headed up by ex-Monolith VP Kevin Stephens and dedicated to creating open-world action-adventure games.

Stephens oversaw Monolith during production on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The Seattle-based studio he's now leading is working on a new game designed to expand EA's presence in the open-world adventure space, but the publisher won't say whether it's part of an existing franchise or a brand new IP.

As part of the deal, Stephens will reunite with EA senior VP and former Monolith president Samantha Ryan. In an interview GamesIndustry.biz, Ryan suggested a new Star Wars game could be one of the studio's projects.

"The action-adventure space is a hugely important genre in our industry, and to us at EA," Ryan said. "Players and fans of those games are so passionate and it's also one of my personal favorite genres. We've also recently had success with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and we would love to entertain more fans with similar interests.

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Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.