EA Acquires Headgate; Focuses Studio On Wii

Officials from Electronic Arts have announced that the development team at Utah-based Headgate Studios (Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Madden NFL SKUs) has joined the company, following a six year partnership between the two firms. Headgate have primarily worked on versions of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise, as well as PC versions of games such as Madden NFL and The Godfather and will remain at the company’s Bountiful, Utah offices while working in conjunction with EA development teams in California and Florida. Vance Cook, CEO and founder of Headgate will continue to lead the studio team as executive producer, reporting to Nick Earl, vice president and general manager of EA Redwood Shores/Maxis. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The most interesting aspect is that, despite the developer’s limited experience with console titles, the team will now be primarily focused on titles for the Wii. Specific titles were not mentioned, though, and it is unclear whether the studio would be working on new Wii exclusive games or conversions of titles from other formats. "Having worked with EA for the past six years, we know their teams share our work ethic, passion for creative excellence and commitment to quality. By joining EA, we are making official what we all already feel - that we are part of the EA family. We couldn't be happier," said Vance Cook, executive producer at EA Salt Lake. "The team at Headgate is a great fit with EA's creative team. Their creative spirit and technical leadership have separated them from the pack," said Paul Lee, president of EA Studios. "Salt Lake City is a terrific place to make games - it's a dynamic city with a vibrant creative community and a great quality of life. We are thrilled to have them join EA."