EA Partners closing down - Report

EA Partners, EA's publishing arm designed to bring third-party games to market, is said to be closing down.

Multiple sources reported the closure to Game Informer, though EA is yet to make an official statement on the matter.

There are currently two games waiting to be published under the EA Partners label: Insomniac's upcoming team-based shooter Fuse, and Respawn Entertainment's currently unannounced project. Both of these will reportedly be unaffected.

Over the past few years EA Partners has attached itself to some high-profile titles, including Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, Bulletstorm, Shadows of the Damned, Crysis, Rock Band, Brutal Legend, and ill-fated MMO APB.

But the label was also involved with the long-running struggle of open-world RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a big-budget game which lost money and triggered the closure of developer 38 Studios. Whether EA is owed money by 38 Studios is currently unknown, though the state of Rhode Island is currently in the process of taking legal action against 38 Studios' boss and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

Game Informer points out that the EA Partners label was a relatively lean department at EA, employing around 50 people.

EA, however, has struggled with disappointing financials during its last financial year and the departure of its long-serving CEO John Riccitiello.