EA to Publish New Team-Based Action Game From Indie Studio Velan
By Stefanie Fogel
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Independent game developer Velan Studios is working on its first original intellectual property and it will publish it under Electronic Arts’ Partners program, the two companies announced on Monday.
The new game will release on PC, consoles, and mobile. Velan is promising not only a unique game world, but an “entirely new and entertaining way to experience team-based action.” The indie studio is adding 40 new jobs, effectively doubling its current team, to work on the project.
Velan Studios was founded in 2016 by industry veterans Guha and Karthik Bala. The pair previously founded Vicarious Visions, a developer perhaps best known for its work on handheld console games throughout the 1990s and 2000s. More recently, it helped Bungie develop content for “Destiny 2” and worked on the “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” for publisher Activision.
“Velan’s vision for this new game experience is very inspiring, and when we played it, we were immediately captured by how engaging and unexpectedly compelling it was,” said Rob Letts, general manager of EA Partners and EA Originals. “Helping discover pioneering talent with ground-breaking games the world needs to play is what we’re here to do, and we look forward to partnering with Velan to deliver an experience that will push the boundaries of original IP and innovation to engage players in new ways.”
“Exploring the boundaries of play with new technology and play patterns is what makes us tick,” said Velan Studios CEO and co-founder Karthik Bala. “Our plan was always simple: build an awesome team, find the magic in something new that the team was passionate about and then enable their success. We are looking forward to introducing their vision and evolving it along with players for many years to come.”
Velan Studios is comprised of developers who’ve worked on various AAA titles and franchises, including “Guitar Hero,” “Skylanders,” “Super Mario Maker,” “Destiny,” and “Uncharted.” To date, it’s raised $7 million to provide resources for its creative teams.
