Skip to main content

EA acquires Super Mega Baseball studio as it doubles down on sports games

EA has acquired Metalhead Software, the studio behind the Super Mega Baseball series, as the video game developer doubles down on sports games.

Metalhead Software, an independent studio, most recently developed and published Super Mega Baseball 3. The game was a hit with critics that gained a niche following last summer. EA Sports Executive Vice President Cam Weber says that the deal will help the developer grow its brand of sports game.

“We’re all players of Super Mega Baseball, and we’ve long admired the work of the Metalhead team,” said Weber in a press release. “It’s a unique and beloved franchise among sports gamers — the balance and depth of gameplay, and the unique style of the content, make it superfun to play with friends. We look forward to supporting and investing in the team so they can continue to build out more amazing games that delight sports fans around the world.”

????We’ve got a Super Mega Huge Announcement!@MetalheadSoft, makers of @SupMegBaseball are joining @EA! ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/Sh29ugE8i6

— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) May 5, 2021

The acquisition is part of a larger trend at EA as it strengthens its sports label. In recent months, EA has announced a new PGA game and a college football title. It recently acquired developer Codemasters, the studio behind the F1 racing series.

It’s all part of a coordinated effort for EA, which highlighted its commitment to the EA Sports label in a press release. “EA Sports continues to expand, and we’re deeply excited to create more unique and interactive experiences that blur the lines between sports and entertainment,” says Weber.

EA did not disclose the exact terms of the acquisition. It plans to discuss more specifics on what games Metalhead is working on next at a later date.

Editors' Recommendations

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
All Baobab Tree locations in Tales of Kenzera
Zau fights a dragon in Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

While it wasn't marketed as being a particularly punishing game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is by no means easy. You will have plenty of environmental challenges that can instantly sap your life, and the enemies you face -- especially the bosses -- are no slouches. When you first begin, it will only take a couple of bad hits to send Zau to the land of the dead himself. Alongside the Trinkets you can unlock through hidden challenges around the map, there are also Baobab Trees where Zau can stop to reflect on his journey thus far, have a short dialogue with Kalunga, and get a small addition to his health bar. Like everything in the game, these trees aren't prohibitively hidden, but you could easily pass one by and have no idea where it was when trying to backtrack. These are all the Baobab Tree locations so you can max out your health bar.
All Baobab Tree locations
There are six Baobab Trees to find in Tales of Kenzera: Zau and each adds a small segment of health to your total. When you collect them all, you will roughly double your HP bar. Here are each of their locations in the rough order you should naturally find them in. Most can be picked up on your first time through that area.
Ikakaramba

This one is very hard to miss as it is directly on your critical path. If you do, you can fast travel to the nearby campfire to grab it.
The Great Cliffs

Read more
All Fallout games, ranked
The courier in his nuclear gear and holding his gun in Fallout: New Vegas key art.

Who would've thought the post-apocalypse could be such a fun time? The Fallout franchise has taken the idea of a Mad Max-like future and not only made it into a wildly popular game franchise but also a hit TV series. The core franchise has been around since the late '90s, and yet we've had only a handful of mainline entries in the series since it was revived by Bethesda with Fallout 3. With Starfield in the rearview mirror and the next Elder Scrolls title currently being the dev team's focus, it could be close to another decade before we can set foot in the wasteland ourselves once again. What better time, then, to look back at the franchise and rank all the games from best to worst?

Fallout: New Vegas

Read more
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is as fun to watch as it is to play
Monkeys race one another in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble.

I couldn’t tell you what the last Super Monkey Ball game I played was, but I can still talk your ear off about the series. That’s thanks to the speedrunning community that has formed around the franchise, making it into the most exciting game to watch when it's played at a high level. After spending close to a decade watching old games turned inside and out, I’m ready to finally dig into a new entry for myself.

Thankfully, I’m getting that chance on June 25 when Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble launches on Nintendo Switch. The latest entry in Sega’s precise platforming series comes loaded with content, from an adventure mode with 200 stages to multiple 16-player multiplayer modes. That’s all exciting, but my attention was on one question when I sat down to demo all of that last week: How fun will it be to watch players master it?

Read more