EA Sports Hiring For Football Positions at New Austin Studio

Chalk this up to a curiosity at this point as it relates to the current football franchises at EA Sports but the company has begun hiring for the new studio being built in Austin and they are seeking positions for unidentified football games. The current listings show software engineers and assistant designers being sought for “football”. A link to the openings was also tweeted by Madden senior designer Josh Looman which could suggest some level of involvement with the Madden franchise or one currently housed at Tiburon. 

Tiburon has taken on additional load over the last few years bringing in franchises like Tiger Woods PGA Tour, NBA Jam, and most recently the sim NBA series previously known as NBA Live/NBA Elite. They have also attempted to branch out with EA Sports MMA and there is the rumored resurrection of NFL Blitz. It’s unclear where the return of MVP Baseball would fit in – whether back at EA Canada or possibly Austin or Tiburon – when the time comes.

The Austin studio was declared as a location for current-gen development. It would seem to reason that if any established franchises were to move to Austin they would come from Tiburon rather than EA Canada which has been very successful with FIFA and NHL. Texas would be a prime spot deep in the heart of football country for NCAA Football or Madden to tap into. Remember that EA has stated the development team for Madden is going to be doubled. Presumably there would be more space at the new studio.

All that being said the Austin location could begin with concentration on building tech or working on specific aspects of development – without requiring a complete shift of resources. Logistically that would make more sense than uprooting such huge projects as that would obviously create a brand new set of issues to deal with. For any series on a tight yearly cycle it’s not something the company could afford. A full move would also potentially clash with EA’s assurances that Florida would not be losing any jobs over the new studio’s opening.

Regardless it’s interesting to finally see some indications as to plans for the Austin studio. Hopefully more clarity will come in the near future.