Electronic Arts is opening a new game studio in Seattle led by former Bungie creative director Marcus Lehto.
Lehto tweeted that his studio will be working on “first-person” games, which I interpret to be a first-person shooter title. Lehto is known as one of the co-creators on Halo, and he worked as art director on the original Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3 games.
Just prior to starting the studio, he was president and game director at V1 Interactive, which closed down earlier this year. He will report to Vince Zampella, head of EA’s Respawn studio, the maker of Apex Legends.
EA has also opened a studio in the Seattle area headed by former Monolith executive Kevin Stephens. That studio is working on an open-world adventure game. EA once had a studio in Seattle but closed it in 2002. In 2011, it also acquired PopCap Games in Seattle for $750 million.
Hey everyone, I’m very excited to announce that I’ve joined @EA as a Game Director, building a new studio in the Seattle area working on first-person games. I can’t wait to share more about what we’re creating! pic.twitter.com/GnfVFNLSaW
— Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator) October 19, 2021