New Mercenaries Game Rising From Ashes Of Pandemic

Only a week after confirming the closure of Pandemic Studios, Electronic Arts is announcing that Mercs Inc is in development at EALA. Though the new chapter in the Mercenaries franchise will be released under the Pandemic moniker, most of the 200-person staff was laid off, leaving a small core team.

No platforms or release window was announced for Mercs Inc (which is a working title), but the game is next in line for Pandemic after The Saboteur releases next week. A leaked video of the game has appeared on Bitmob.com, and it appears that it's mostly multiplayer focused.

“We are very excited to announce a new installment in the popular Mercenaries series because it demonstrates our continued commitment to Pandemic’s rich catalog of intellectual properties,” says Nick Earl, EA senior vice president and group general manager. “From the studio at EALA, a core creative team is forging new ground and conceptualizing new ideas for this exciting franchise.”

Something about the name and lack of platforms makes this seem like it’s not a traditional home console or PC game. Maybe it’s another free-to-play online game like Battlefield Heroes. What’s your take?