Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Several Madden Developers Test Free Agency
Today Game Informer confirmed a report from sports blogger Pastapadre that several senior level Madden developers from EA Tiburon are leaving the studio.
After Pastapadre founder Bryan Wiedey broke the news of the exodus on Sunday, today executive producer Phil Frazier corroborated the report. Though Frazier wouldn't disclose the names of the departing staff members, this afternoon Wiedey tweeted that creative director Ian Cummings is among those leaving the studio. Cummings, best known as the creator of the hit stick, served as the voice of the franchise over the past few years. Game Informer has reached out to several of the more high-profile team members, but has yet to confirm the identity of the other leaving developers.
The move comes on the heels of a report from The Orlando Business Journal that a former EA Tiburon executive has formed a new Orlando-based social games studio called Row Sham Bow, Inc. Wiedey speculates that many of the departed are taking their talents to this new venture.
It remains to be seen how these departures will affect the development of Madden NFL 12. Given the short dev cycle of the yearly sports titles, if the departures are immediate it could have an adverse affect during crunch time. It's also possible that the developers could be leaving upon completion of the next game. Madden NFL 12 ships on August 30.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
