Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that it will formally open the doors of its new video game development studio based in the heart of Salt Lake City. To commemorate this occasion, EA will host Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, along with several Utah state and local government officials at a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony inside the new facility. Focusing on creating quality entertainment for families, the highly talented EA Salt Lake Studio has been responsible for producing several top-selling family-friendly video game franchises under the EA Play Label, including MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP and NERF, all under license from Hasbro.
“We’re honored to stand elbow-to-elbow with Utah Government officials as we show off our new studio in Salt Lake City,” said Jon Dean, Executive Producer at EA Salt Lake. “As a company that takes great pride in its people and the amazing video games they create, today’s open house celebrates all of that hard work with the team and their families with fun activities from studio tours to game demos and art projects for the kids.”
“This move means we were able to build a state-of-the-art facility that fits the development studio needs, while also allowing our employees to work out of a more convenient location in downtown Salt Lake,” said Chip Lange, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Hasbro Division. “We’re hopeful that EA’s growing commitment and investment in the Salt Lake area will accelerate the region’s development into one of the industry’s hottest game development centers.”
The new custom facility has been specifically designed to promote the creation of innovative video game content. Covering 20,000 square feet, its unconventional interior design is anchored by a mountain theme and projects a very hip and creative vibe. In an effort to encourage teamwork and maximize collaboration, the floor plan has very few fixed walls and prime views of the mountain range, cityscape and parks have been reserved as team spaces. The facility also features an eclectic variety of suspended lighting which drops from the 30 foot high ceilings, illuminating metal wave structures giving the illusion of flow and movement.
The EA Salt Lake Studio houses 100 employees across a wide range of industry disciplines including engineering, design, project management, marketing, production, audio, art and animation. Previously, EA had maintained a facility in Bountiful, Utah since 2006. That office has closed with the move of the entire staff to the new Salt Lake City Studio.
The EA Salt Lake Studio is the development power behind some of the industry’s most successful casual video games, including several under license from Hasbro that have sold a combined worldwide total of more than eight million units at retail according to NPD (Dec 2009). NERF “N-Strike” was EA’s No. 2 Wii title in 2008 followed by its popular sequel, NERF “N-Strike” Elite in 2009. The LITTLEST PET SHOP video game franchise has sold nearly four million copies worldwide across all platforms, including Wii, Nintendo DS™ and PC, since October 2008. Currently, EA Salt Lake is developing MONOPOLY Streets and LITTLEST PET SHOP 3: Biggest Stars for release later this year.