While terms of the deal aren't public, one can safely assume the team at Metalhead Software is celebrating a grand slam of its own today. The studio has been acquired by EA and joins the EA Sports family.
Metalhead Software is famous for the Super Mega Baseball franchise which has consistently reviewed favorably among critics, averaging a "Strong" OpenCritic 81 among dozens of critics and spanning three numbered entires. In a press release, a spokesperson for EA said the pair are teaming up to grow the fan-favorite baseball series as well as "as well as develop new gaming and sports experiences for players worldwide."
"Our team has worked hard over the years to refine a formula that uniquely mixes an arcade style with deep on-field gameplay and innovative co-operative and competitive multiplayer experiences,” said Scott Drader, Co-Founder of Metalhead Software. “In this next chapter, we’re excited to leverage EA’s power and reach to bring our titles to a broader audience and to take some ambitious next steps in the development of our future titles."
The acquisition follows another major move from EA that saw the world's largest video game publisher acquire another major publishing house, Codemasters, including acqusition of all its racing-heavy IP. EA will now publish games such as F1, Dirt, Grid, and the Onrush sequel that exists in my dreams, where it shall tragically forever remain.
EA's next big sports release is Knockout City, which arrives on May 21 via the EA Originals label. It will be playable in full at launch for EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. You can find the first reviews online here on OpenCritic. Here's when to expect them.
