A job listing for Ripple Effect, previously EA’s DICE LA studio, provides some early insight into what the team’s next project could be.
Ripple Effect is a name most video game fans won’t be familiar with. It’s a new name for a team of veteran developers with 26 years of history behind it. What it is now, however, is an Electronic Arts studio being led by Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella. It’s no longer EA DICE LA, a support studio for Battlefield developer DICE, but instead working on its own game. What that game remains a mystery for the time being. A new job listing for Ripple Effect does offer an early indication of the project’s direction, though.
The job listing is for a Lead Character Artist at Ripple Effect and is looking for a veteran developer with expert skills in sculpting and modeling using Zbrush and Maya. Overall, it’s a very typical job listing for such a position. However, there is one bullet point in the “Skills We Look For” section of the listing that is likely referencing Ripple Effect’s game. The skill is “Military gear & hardware knowledge a plus.”
The implication is that Ripple Effect is making a game that includes characters decked out in military gear, or gear that’s inspired by a military theme. With no further context, that leaves a lot of genres as a possibility. From sandbox survival games to sci-fi RPGs, military gear is extremely influential in most genres. The prevalence of a military presence is incredibly common in video game storytelling these days.
Of course, the most likely scenario is also the simplest. Ripple Effect is a team of developers that has been supporting the Battlefield franchise for years. It would make sense for its first new game to be inspired by that experience. A first-person shooter seems likely, or even a multiplayer FPS. It may even be a Battlefield spin-off, like Bad Company or Hardline. Given Ripple Effect’s modern experience is rooted in development of EA’s Frostbite engine, and FPS makes the most sense.
Electronic Arts also has control of the Medal of Honor franchise, too, a franchise that Zampella is also already working on as part of Respawn. Respawn developed Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for the Oculus Rift VR headset. Perhaps Zampella is working with Ripple Effect to help tie together the Medal of Honor projects. Or, perhaps Ripple Effect is working on another Respawn IP.
It may be some time yet before official word of Ripple Effect’s project is shared publically. Yet, for Battlefield fans hoping that Ripple Effect would continue working on similar projects, it seems like the future is looking bright.
Ripple Effect‘s game is currently in development.
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