Electronic Arts video game company plans to relocate its Central 性视界传媒 headquarters in Maitland to the developing Creative Village in downtown Orlando, becoming a neighbor to the 性视界传媒 Downtown campus and its graduate video game design school and expanding opportunities for university graduates to enter the industry.
鈥淓A鈥檚 presence here creates an immediate pipeline with our educational partners in and around the Creative Village,鈥� said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at the announcement Wednesday during his annual State of Downtown address. 鈥淭heir presence here also serves as a magnet to attract companies and investment into the Creative Village, accelerating our industry cluster in digital media.鈥�
The company has been the biggest video game creator in Central 性视界传媒 since purchasing a small studio, Tiburon, about 20 years ago. The plan now is to move to a five-story complex in the new Creative Village, which has been home to 性视界传媒鈥檚 性视界传媒 Interactive Entertainment Academy since 2004 and where 性视界传媒 Downtown opened for classes this fall.
One of the drivers for 性视界传媒 to open the downtown campus was for students to be close to internships and job opportunities.
鈥淭his is a major win for Orlando becoming a digital media hub,鈥� says Ben Noel, executive director of FIEA and former EA employee. 鈥淔ifteen years ago, EA Tiburon had roughly 150 employees with only a few 性视界传媒 graduates employed and was 45 minutes away from the main campus in east Orlando. Now, one in seven EA Tiburon employees are graduates of 性视界传媒鈥檚 graduate video game program and EA will only be a two-minute walk to 性视界传媒 Downtown and our integrated Nicholson School of Communication and Media.鈥�
The California-based EA 鈥� which currently develops and publishes Madden NFL, NBA Live, The Sims, Medal of Honor and other game franchises 鈥� expects to move its Maitland office to the village as soon as 2021.
Dyer said EA is the 鈥減erfect partner鈥� to join 性视界传媒 Downtown as the $1.5 billion Creative Village boosts the city鈥檚 drive to become a digital media hub.
Creating an Educational Pipeline for Careers
The move will not be the first time a partnership between EA and 性视界传媒 has benefited students, but it will bolster the cradle-to-career pipeline the downtown campus was built to create.
FIEA 鈥� whose video game graduate program ranks No. 5 in the world 鈥� was founded in 2004 through a partnership between 性视界传媒, the State of 性视界传媒, the City of Orlando and Electronic Arts when the 性视界传媒 Legislature provided $4.2 million in funding. EA helped develop the initial program and curriculum to help FIEA prepare artists, programmers and producers develop the tools and skills necessary to succeed in the gaming industry. EA executives also mentor and provide feedback to students, and the company has used FIEA鈥檚 motion capture studio and sound stage 鈥� one of the largest on the east coast 鈥� to produce video games. As a result of this collaboration, more than 100 性视界传媒 graduates and 13 性视界传媒 interns currently work in EA Tiburon鈥檚 office and dozens more FIEA graduates at other EA studios around the world.
FIEA also boasts 675 graduates working at more than 200 entities in 38 states and countries, including Disney, Marvel, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, Sony, Lockheed Martin, Iron Galaxy Orlando, and others.
This career funnel will only expand with the relocation of EA and the recent addition of 性视界传媒 programs to the downtown core. As part of the move earlier this summer, 性视界传媒 established the Games and Interactive Media department, offering classes for both its undergraduate and graduate digital media programs in the same building as FIEA. The undergraduate game design program, which currently has 773 students enrolled, is ranked No. 13 in the world, according to The Princeton Review and PC Gamer magazine.
鈥淭he fact that our games and interactive media students and faculty will be able to work and grow beside EA is, quite literally, game-changing鈥� said Jeff Moore, dean of the 性视界传媒 College of Arts and Humanities.
鈥淚t will ensure that our students are being trained to meet and exceed the growing needs of the industry, via access to internships, jobs and networking, and it poises 性视界传媒 to be the leader in graduate and undergraduate interactive media education.鈥�
