Report: EA Partners facing closure

EA Partners may be facing closure. Electronic Arts' contract-based program for independent developers has been particularly active in the last few years, publishing the Crysis series, Bulletstorm, and retail copies of Portal 2, but sources claim it will be shutting down soon.

Citing multiple anonymous sources, Game Informer says the closure will not impact Insomniac's Fuse or Respawn's debut game. EA's earnings call is scheduled for May 7, when it is likely to detail its publishing strategy moving forward.

Over the last few months, EA has had its CEO John Riccitiello step down, and gone through rounds of layoffs. The Partners program was involved in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning last year, which had its own very public financial problems. EA has not disclosed whether it was owed money from the studio, or how much. Partners also co-published The Secret World, which went free-to-play just five months after launch.

Shacknews has contacted EA and will update as more information becomes available.