News: When in doubt, buy it out.
Electronic Arts has announced they've purchased BioWare and Pandemic Studios for $810 million. The two studios had previously merged in late 2005 and will now live under the EA Games label run by Frank Gibeau.
The $810 million includes a $620 million cash buyout as well as $155 million in equity "to certain employees" of the BioWare/Pandemic collective. EA will also lend $35 million to the companies while the acquisition is still pending.
BioWare is currently putting the finishing touches on
Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. The company is also hard at work on an unnamed MMORPG. A third title,
Dragon Age for the PC, is known to be in development, but was not cited by EA as part of the buyout. BioWare's
Sonic RPG was also not cited by EA. Make of that what you will.
Pandemic meanwhile is finishing up
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2) for early 2008 and has just begun work on World War II game
Saboteur (Xbox 360, PS3).
We'll have more on this potentially Earth-shaking acquisition soon.
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