Mass Effect Andromeda Development Studio Merging with Motive Studios

Electronic Arts have decided to merge the Mass Effect Andromeda development studio, Bioware Montreal, with another Canada-based studio, Motive Studios. Motive was founded by Jade Raymond, formerly of Ubisoft, and they’re currently working on Star Wars: Battlefront II, and an undisclosed Star Wars game. This decision comes after downsizing Bioware Montreal, further feeding into the rumors that EA will only work on the multiplayer side of Mass Effect Andromeda.

The development studio that has produced the majority of Mass Effect Andromeda, Bioware Montreal, is being merged with Motive Studios, another subsidiary of Electronic Arts. According to TechRaptor, there were previous hints that this might happen. In the quarterly EA conference call, CFO Blake Jorgensen said:

We’re building out a new studio in Montreal, as we’ve told everyone. And we’ve hired over 100 people into that studio that are brand-new to EA. This is to build the new IP around Jade Raymond’s team that she’s been building. I was in that studio last month. And it’s a wonderful new addition to our team. And we brought our BioWare Montreal team into that same facility. So they now all sit in one new studio together.

Later on, an EA representative confirmed that the move to a new facility is happening, and that the two teams are, indeed, merging.

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. This is an ongoing process, but there are many exciting roles and opportunities for everyone on the team.

BioWare continues its work on new titles – including the highly-anticipated game, Anthem. What’s coming next for BioWare is very exciting, and we’re thrilled to have Casey Hudson returning to lead the studios in Edmonton and Austin.

It remains to be seen what this merger will bring in the future of Bioware Montreal and the Mass Effect franchise. Many have said that EA might only focus on the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect Andromeda, leaving the single player behind. This certainly seems to confirm this. We’ll see what happens.