Top Gaming Moment # 98: November 6th, 2007

Source: SarcasticGamer, GameSpot, Kotaku & GameDaily

Electronic Arts was a major trend setter this year not only for kicking off the merger/take-over spree that swept the industry, but also for abandoning talented studios and development staff. On November 6th, 2007, rumors that EA Chicago would be closing were confirmed. The studio was responsible for the Def Jam and Fight Night games, that while not critically acclaimed blockbusters, were still both good titles with a loyal following of gamers.

Find out why it made the list, after the jump!

Rather than killing the state-of-the-art studio (built the year before) after the modest success of their last release, or giving them a more lucrative project, EA Corporate waited months before closing EA Chicago. Coincidentally (I think not), right after they purchased Bioware and Pandemic.

In my opinion, corporate seemed to consider Chicago unworthy of any of the support EA CEO Riccitiello had spoken of in his “We’re willing to take risks…” press release. EA Corporate appears to have written off Chicago so they could put their chips into Bioware and Pandemics corner, leaving their current EA employees and their sweet studio swinging in the breeze.

There’s a good reason we call EA the “Darth Vader” of video game publishers.

That’s why EA closing down their Chicago studios checks in at number 98 in our top 100 Gaming moments of 2007!

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