What are Electronic Arts working on... A look at their studios
2025 was an odd year for Electronic Arts, they basically started the year by gutting Bioware after Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not succeed as they expected it to. Then a few months later they laid off another 300 or so staff, impacting teams working on brand new games, as well as Apex Legends and all that was not enough, a month later they shuttered the studio working on the Black Panther videogame.
Of course, the company made headlines when it decided to give up and sell out to a conglomerate of Saudi Arabia backed money, you can read more about that here. The shareholder meeting where many gamers had hoped it would be stopped, did not stop it, as they approved the sale, which of course they did as they got a lot of money for it. There have been valid concerns raised around the idea of a country known for killing people they don’t like, operating a company like Electronic Arts, but now it is up to government regulators to either approve or deny the sale.
Sadly, last year ended on a terrible note for Electronic Arts, as Vince Zampella, the co-creator of Call of Duty and the man overseeing Battlefield, Titanfall and Apex Legends was killed in a car crash. While it is terrible for the company, my thoughts go out to his family during this time. Vince was a force in the industry and his impact will be missed, though I hope his legacy lives on.
These are the games that were published in 2025, with those titles that are bolded being original releases:
Split Fiction - Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S*
MySims: Cozy Bundle - PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
F1 25 - PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
EA Sports College Football 26 - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Apex Legends - Nintendo Switch 2
Madden NFL 26 - Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
NHL 26 - PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
EA Sports FC 26 - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Battlefield 6 - PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Battlefield REDSEC - PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
*Published as part of the EA Originals program
Sadly, there was a some studio closure for this group as well:
Cliffhanger Games - They were creating the new Black Panther game
If you are curious to see how we did in years past, you can find our 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022 Previews here.
EA Games
Bioware
Locations: Edmonton, Canada | Austin, USA
Known for: Mass Effect, Dragon Age | Last game released: Dragon Age: The Veilguard
2025 was a bit of a rough year for Bioware, if only because the studio was hit with a big number of layoffs, after Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to make the numbers that EA were demanding. Reports since the game came out basically highlighted that the game was just not what was originally intended, because EA got involved and had them restart development twice. So what else happened in 2025, honestly not much.
The year ended with Mike Gamble, issuing his normal N7 Day letter, confirming that the studio is now all in on Mass Effect and that EA are committed to the series. We also got an update on the Mass Effect TV series that is currently in production at Prime Video, though that still has no timeline for release. The good news is that it was confirmed the TV series will tell an original story, no retelling what players know and it will connect in some form to the new game. As there are often teasers or hidden messages in some of the posts around Mass Effect, players discover things and 2025 was no different with the art below shown. As for Bioware in 2026, they are not hiring and are all in on Mass Effect, given how much Dragon Age bombed, due to EA managers sticking their noses in the mix, I expect that we won’t get an official reveal of the next Mass Effect until 2028. If you want to see the below art in its full glory, all 117mb of it, you can do that here.
Codemasters
Locations: Southam, UK | Birmingham, UK | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | London, UK
Known for: GRID, F1, Dirt | Last game released: F1 25
For the first time in a long time, I can’t just copy and paste and say that Codemasters are working on the next F1 game, because they ain’t, well sort of. Back in November, it was revealed that there would not be a F1 26 released this year, well not in the sense of a brand new game. Instead the team will release a DLC pack for the game, that brings in the updated livery, racer stats and profiles, but does not add any new gameplay features.
What this means is that while we will see F1 content from them in 2026, it is unlikely to be the massive push that we normally get. Will we see anything on the next game this year, unlikely, as a lot of what they have said is coming is tied to some updates that F1 themselves are bringing to the race, so until those are known publicly, the rest will remain a secret.
CRITERION GAMES
Locations: Guildford, England | Cheshire, England
Known for: Burnout, Need for Speed | Last game released: Battlefield 6
Nothing says racing pedigree than tanks on a battlefield, because after shipping Need for Speed Unbound, they were tasked with working full time on the Battlefield series. Now part of Battlefield Studios, the studio are just going to work on that series until the staff there get up and leave. All the studios open roles, the few that there are, all talk about Battlefield being their focus. With Battlefield 6 having just shipped last year, I expect Criterion and the other Battlefield Studios to be working on seasons for that, for quite a while.
As for Need for Speed, Unbound might have been the most recent title, it may end up being the last title as well, as there is little word from anyone at EA about bringing that series back, which is a real shame. The only way that we might get Need for Speed, is if the AAA racing game that Stellar Entertainment are working on, is for that series. If you don’t know the name, they were the folks who remastered both Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, but that is for another time. Many of the staff there also worked at Criterion over the years, so that is another reason to hope they are working on it. Beyond Battlefield 6 though, I don’t think we will hear much from Criterion this year.
DICE
Locations: Stockholm, Sweden | Vancouver, Canada
Known for: Battlefield | Last game released: Battlefield 6
Apart from the fact I can’t copy and paste the Criterion blurb, simply because DICE has never worked on Need for Speed, the rest of it holds true. As the lead tech and multiplayer studio for Battlefield 6, the studio is going to be all in on that for the next few years. With seasons coming every few months, I expect their name to keep popping up, but anyone hoping for Star Wars Battlefront III is going to be left waiting a long time.
As you might expect, their open roles are all about Battlefield, pretty much locking down the studio for nothing else for the next year or so.
EA GOTHENBURG
Known for: Need for Speed | Last game released: Need for Speed Heat
EA Gothenburg is a weird studio, they were started up as Ghost Story Games and were making Need for Speed, but when that went back to Criterion, they lost the fun name and found themselves as a tech support studio for DICE. While DICE were the creators of Frostbite, EA Gothenburg is pretty much where it is maintained now. What is even weirder is that with Battlefield 6 being created on the latest version of the engine, this studio was not pulled into the Battlefield Studios group. The studios open roles are the same as the ones for DICE, further cementing just how tied together the two studios are.
FULL CIRCLE
Known for: skate | Last game released: skate.
The studio was founded 5 years ago, well almost 5 years and last year they finally popped skate. out into early access. The game launched, then got a season one and then a season two, the only problem is the game is not done and I have a personal hatred for games that try to sell you things, when the game is not finished. Players seem to be feeling the same as reviews on Steam are sitting at 3 stars or 65% and looking at them, you can see some folks calling things out as incomplete.
The studio has a few open roles, including one for mobile work, as the game is meant to come there, but given how many players expect more to the game, there is no telling if they will stick to their plans. Season 2 is meant to last until March 3, 2026, so there is a long wait ahead, but I imagine early February will give us a good indicator of how the team are fairing. The only question, will they focus on fixing issues players are raising, or will they focus on adding more microtransactions to an already incomplete game?
MAXIS
Locations: Redwood City, USA | Austin, USA | Vancouver, Canada
Known for: SimCity, The Sims | Last game released: The Sims 4
It is Maxis, they make the Sims… nuff said. Oh alright, 2025 was a weird year for The Sims 4 as Doja Cat, Fairies and Spongebob SquarePants all showed up in the game. There were also a host of expansions, stuff packs and kits to keep player simming all the live long day. As for Project Rene, I have no updates to share, as there have been none. MySims which released onto Nintendo Switch in 2024, came to PC in March 2025, then Apple Arcade in October and PlayStation and Xbox soon after that. Oh, for those that play The Sims Freeplay, it just got more content across the year, which considering last year was meant to be a 25th birthday celebration, it sort of went nowhere.
As for 2026, honestly just expect more of the same. The Sims 4 keeps selling their stuff and kits like crazy, so the old saying, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, comes to mind. There are some interesting roles that are open for the group, but nothing that hints at anything major. For now, just expect more packs and the only change to that, that I could see, would be bringing The Sims 4 to Switch 2.
MOTIVE STUDIOS
Known for: Star Wars Squadrons, Dead Space Remake | Last game released: Battlefield 6
After releasing a few games of their own, and working on the new Iron Man game, Motive were thrown a curve ball in 2024 when EA went and closed Ridgeline Games, forcing them to pick up the campaign of Battlefield 6. Now while I personally thought it was a great campaign, other people feel differently, but the studio was just only given 18 months between picking up development and releasing it. Even though the studio had created two Star Wars games, well one game and one campaign, and remade Dead Space, the studio has been lumped into Battlefield Studios, so you can guess where this is going.
Yes, they are still working on Iron Man, well maybe. The studio has a few dozen open roles and like 90% of them are for Battlefield, but there are some Iron Man ones in the mix, the reason for my doubt is that one role is for Cinematic Director, one is for technical animator and one is for Gameplay Director. Those are not the sort of roles you want to be hiring for if your game is making good progress. Now the leads are still there, at least what we have found says that, so either the scope expanded or they just lost a few folks all at once. The remaining jobs are all Battlefield and given the studio is a more narrative focused venture, I would expect them to be both assisting on new content for the current game and based off some of the open roles, working on whatever is next for single player Battlefield. Will we see their name this year, I hope yes in a trailer for Iron Man, but honestly there is no telling where that game is, so who knows.
POGO STUDIOS
Locations: Vancouver, Canada | Austin, USA
Known for: Countless games | Last game released: Matching Moments
Pogo.com is a website that allows players to login and enjoy dozens of games, from Mahjong to Solitaire, puzzlers and hidden object titles. The site has been in operation for years now and shows no signs of slowing down.
Given they are usually quite on new games, the general updates to existing games and such will still come, but that is about all we can expect.
PopCap Games
Locations: Seattle, USA | Vancouver, Canada | Shanghai, China | Hyderabad, India
Known for: Bejeweled, Plants vs Zombies | Last game released: Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted
2021 was the last time that PopCap Games released something, though to be fair, Plants Vs Zombies 3 has soft launched in some markets, but last year we finally got a new game. Well, we got a new take on an old game, as Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted came to everything, ensuring what is old is new again. That release was well received, though players were hoping for something new from the team.
As for 2026, there is no way of knowing what they are up to. Plants vs Zombies 3 could release in full this year, but as the only open role the studio has has this in the description “defining and driving the Acquisition, Engagement, and Monetization strategies for Plants vs Zombies 3“ I think they are wanting to make sure they can collect all the money they can from players. If I had to guess, I would hope that Peggle or Zuma are getting new games soon, as its been 12 years for the former and 15 years for the latter. But as they are technically more mobile focused first, until they release something we really won’t know.
RESPAWN ENTERTAINMENT
Locations: Los Angeles, U.S. | Vancouver, Canada | Madison, U.S.
Known for: Titanfall, Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi | Last game released: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The last game that released from this group was back in 2023 when Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released, then a year later, the game was ported to older platforms. In between all of that were a lot of updates for Apex Legends. A few years ago, word came out that a new Star Wars FPS and Strategy game were coming from Respawn, with the latter being lead by Bit Reactor and the sad news is that among the many lay offs the studio has had over the past few years, the Star Wars FPS game is no more.
2026 will see the strategy game release, as Star Wars: Zero Company was revealed last year at Star Wars Celebration, assuming there are no delays. Apex Legends will get more updates, because of course it will, with a host of jobs open for the game. Star Wars Jedi will continue to be developed in the background of things, but I don’t expect a reveal of that one until the next Star Wars Celebration, which is taking place in 2027 and will celebrate 50 years. Will the studio have anything else to share? No, simply because the other games that were in early stages of conceptualisation were cancelled last year, so even if they began something soon after, that is only six months and change, far to early to announce it.
RIPPLE EFFECT STUDIO
Locations: Los Angeles, USA | Vancouver, Canada
Known for: Battlefield 2042 | Last game released: Battlefield 6
The fourth of the Battlefield Studios group, Ripple Effect have more to do Portal, the mode where players can create a host of games, depending on what they want. This is not just making smaller maps, or reducing players, but if you want a knives vs rocket launcher match, you can make it. Given the studio is all in on that, I don’t expect much to change for 2026, as new seasons for Battlefield 6 are released. With REDSEC featuring some Portal content, it would not surprise me if this studio were the lead on that take on Battlefield, but as EA just say it was made by Battlefield Studios, we might never know.
EA Sports
EA KOREA
Known for: FC Online | Last game released: FC Online
2025 saw this studio release updates for FC Mobile and FC Online, which this studio is responsible for, if you don’t know those games, you won’t be alone as they are mainly for the Asian market. Last year we reported that they had some sort of unannounced project in the works, thanks to a job listing and now there are more of them. There are still no details for the project, just that it needs people, given the studio has worked on FC/FIFA, Need for Speed and MLB titles over the years, there really is no way we can guess where it will go. The studios name will show up across the year, mostly for their existing games and again, mostly for the Asian gaming market.
EA MADRID
Known for: None | Last game released: None
The Madrid team is where a lot of the QA work for the sports games are done, not all of course, but a large portion of it is done there. They also support things like localisation, ensuring that each game is offered in as many languages as possible. Their name will show up in the credits of games, as they always do, but they won’t be leading anything again this year.
EA Orlando
Known for: Madden NFL, PGA Tour | Last game released: Madden NFL 25
This is where Madden is made and now College Football joins that line up. After two years back to back, both games are almost a lock for 2026, I mean can you picture a world where EA don’t release a Madden game, yeah me neither. The studio has no open roles listed, so it is unlikely they are going to break tradition and create something entirely new, so sorry all you pickle ball fans. That being said, this year will mark 3 years since EA Sports PGA Tour released, so a new entry in that coming would make sense, but for this one, only time will tell what they are doing.
EA ROMANIA
Known for: EA Sports FC, NHL | Last game released: EA Sports FC 26
The Romanian team is the other half of the Vancouver team, they work in tandem to create the FC series and NHL series of games every year. Last year saw the team bring both NHL 26 and FC 26 to players, with only the latter hitting all platforms.
As for 2026, expect more of the same, though the studio does have a few open roles for Respawn support and Battlefield support, so I expect we might see their name added to credits here and there across the year for games beyond sport.
EA VANCOUVER
Known for: EA Sports FC, NHL, UFC | Last game released: EA Sports FC 26
Like above, Vancouver released NHL 26 and FC 26 last year and I don’t expect any major changes for 2026, except for one thing. The last UFC game that the studio released was back in 2023, so it is possible that they figure enough time has passed for them to bring the series back. There is some thought to this as in September 2025, the official UFC YouTube channel uploaded a Vlog, here someone wearing a UFC Scanning Team shirt, was talking about capturing folks for the game.
Now nothing has been officially announced, but where there is smoke, there is fire. The studio could throw everyone for a loop and go back to older games they have made, like SSX or Fight Night, but I don’t think EA care enough about those series any more. So for 2026, expect more Soccer, Hockey and maybe some UFC.
EA Publishing
Broadsword
Known for: Star Wars: The Old Republic | Last game released: Legacy of the Sith
Star Wars The Old Republic recently turned 14 years old, which is crazy to think and yes, the collector that I am, I still have my original install discs. 2025 saw the team continue releasing new content as part of Legacy of the Sith, including more random world encounters and a continuation of the games latest story. The team also made progress in upgrading the game from running on DirectX 9 and moving it to DirectX 12, but there is no eta on when that will roll out to players.
So what about 2026? Well update 7.8.1: Master’s Enigma will launch by the end of February and two more updates will come, one in Autumn and the other in Winter. But if the 14 years last year did not clue you in, the game will turn 15 years old in 2026. The team have update 8.0 in the plans and will slowly reveal things, but exact timings are not yet known. What we do know is that we are expecting a major update for it. The team host live streams every few months where they detail the changes, so keep an eye on those for more info.
Bit Reactor
Known for: None | Last game released: None
The studio was officially formed the day before it was announced that they were working with Respawn Entertainment on a new strategy game. Zero Company is coming this year, or at least that is the hope, but given that we have not seen anything since the games reveal last year, who knows if it is still on track.
The studio has no open roles and there is nothing to indicate any issues as of today, but 2026 has only just begun and anything can happen. I expect that if the game is on track, we might learn more about it come May, but given it is a new studio they might choose to do things in unexpected ways.
EA Originals
Glowmade
Known for: King of Meat | Last game released: King of Meat
We have no idea if this one is still happening, it was announced almost 7 years ago, alongside Lost in Random and then unnamed It Takes Two, with both those games having released. Heck those developers also released more games, Lost in Random got Lost in Random: The Eternal Die and Hazelight released Split/Fiction last year. The game that was announced was called RustHeart and the games official website shows nothing and the EA Originals page no longer has any listing for the game. What was meant to be a co-op action RPG seems to have rusted before it even was revealed properly.
So there we go, all things Electronic Arts. The group do have a mobile division, but due to almost all mobile games being silent until release, or just getting content/monetization updates, we opted to leave them out of the list.
How well do you think we did? What would your guesses be? Be sure to let us know.
