Mass Effect: Andromeda Dev Merging With Motive Studios

Following the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda in March, Kotaku reported that staffers from developer BioWare Montreal were being reassigned to EA's Motive Studios, which is also based in Montreal. Now, EA has officially confirmed the merger.

"The teams in EA Worldwide Studios are packed with talent, and more than ever, we're driving collaboration between studios on key projects. With multiple major projects in development in Montreal, we are merging BioWare Montreal with Motive Studios," an EA spokesperson told TechRaptor.net. "This is an ongoing process, but there are many exciting roles and opportunities for everyone on the team."

BioWare's other studios, including those in Edmonton and Austin, are still operating as normal. Recently, BioWare announced that veteran Casey Hudson returned to BioWare to become the general manager of the Edmonton team, which is making Anthem.

The BioWare Montreal developers who moved to Motive Studios are reportedly working on Star Wars: Battlefront II. The studio, which is headed up by Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond, is also working on a "gigantic," Assassin's Creed-style action game and possibly other projects as well.

BioWare Montreal opened in 2009. The overview page of its website states up front, "BioWare Montreal was built from the ground up to be a standalone studio."

The merger between BioWare Montreal and Motive was referenced last week during EA's latest earnings call. CFO Blake Jorgensen said at the time (via SeekingAlpha), "We brought our BioWare Montreal team into that same facility, so they now all sit in one new studio together."