Give EA credit. It used to be viewed as the evil empire of game publishing (I would say that title now belongs to Activision), but lately has become a champion of original IP and independent game development. It doesn’t look like that trend is stopping any time soon either.
In fact, just today EA added one more original game to its publishing stable, announcing a partnership with 38 Studios, founded by Curt Schilling (yes, that Curt Schilling!), to help publish the studio’s first game currently codenamed Project Mercury.
Project Mercury, in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, is being billed as an epic single-player RPG, and the team 38 Studios has assembled to create it should be enough to get any RPG fan very, very excited.
Big Huge Games heads up the development, led by the former lead designer of the previous two Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion, Ken Rolston. Acclaimed fantasy author R. A. Salvatore and comic artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane are also playing lead roles in the game’s development, helping to create its back story and art direction, respectively.
Other developers attached to the project include former members from Bethesda Softworks, LucasArts and the teams behind the first two Civilization games, and, according to GameSpot, now that EA is the publisher BioWare is also expected to play a part in the collaborative process.
“From day one, 38 Studios has been focused on creating the next generation of entertainment experiences that embrace all mediums, including film, television, comics, novels, toys and, of course, games,” said Curt Schilling, Founder and Chairman of 38 Studios. “We are creating an enormous world, with heroes and villains and a rich back story from the brilliant minds of R. A., Todd and Ken at its heart, and I can think of no finer partner than the global powerhouse that is EA Partners. Being able to leverage the expertise of EA’s publishing organization to bring our first product to market is a dream come true for 38 Studios.”
“We are thrilled to be working with 38 Studios. The world of RPG gaming is so rich and it is a perfect complement to our partners and title portfolio in EAP,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “Project Mercury is bursting with first-rate talent, with passion that spans across the board, from Curt to R. A. to Todd and Ken. We look forward to collaborating with them to create an amazing game set in this incredible new world.”
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
