DICE LA has gotten a new name; from now on it will be known as Ripple Effect Studios. The rebranded studio will continue to work on Battlefield 2042 alongside DICE, EA Gothenburg, and Criterion Games. They’ll also soon be starting development on their own unannounced title.The new name reflects the idea that the “smallest idea can change the world” in a ripple effect, be it “an enlightening conversation in a hallway or a prototype yielding unexpected results”. Ripple Effect Studios’ General Manager Christian Grass explains the reason for the name change:We’re so proud of our work as DICE LA and the DICE team will forever be a part of our DNA, but over the past eight years, we’ve developed our own culture and our own way of doing things. We’re excited to look towards the future, expand the team and establish our own identity.The name change is not entirely out of the blue. The studio was expected to drop the DICE branding back when Vince Zampella was brought on board. He stated at the time they wanted to “give it a new image” and move away from their previous branding as DICE Stockholm’s support studio, although it took so long to do so thanks to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In terms of leadership, nothing is changing. Grass will continue to be joined by Zampella, who also remains in his role overseeing the team at Respawn Entertainment.Ripple Effect is about to start work on its own unannounced title. No details have been revealed for this project, although Zampella has previously said the studio is a “shooter team” and “chances are it’s going to be something along those lines”. They’re currently recruiting for more than a dozen positions within the studio, both based in Los Angeles and for remote work.The team also will remain as one of four studios currently working on Battlefield 2042 and are focused on “a player-inspired experience” for the game, likely to be the rumored Battlefield Hub that is supposed to be a non-competitive, fun sandbox experience. Regardless of whether the rumors are true, the mode will be revealed at EA Play Live on July 22.[Source: EA]
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