2K recently announced the opening of a new "AAA studio" called Small Axe Studio. It is located in Vancouver, Canada.
Aaron McHardy was appointed as its head. According to the statement, this studio "will combine the enthusiasm of a startup with the scale of 2K to reimagine the future of sports video games."
In addition to McHardy, the team includes several other Electronic Arts veterans: Gary Paterson – Head of Design, Tom Pan – Head of Operations, Mike Thompson – Head of Engineering, Jon Cruz – Technical Art Director.
Previously, McHardy was an executive producer for the Madden and College Football franchises, and also worked with the FIFA team.
This studio is built to take on the industry's boldest challenges, and our name reflects that: with vision, drive, and focus, a small axe can fell a big tree.
Notably, Electronic Arts, the studio responsible for creating the EA Sports FC football simulators, is also based in Vancouver.
EA Sports FC 27 is scheduled for release on September 25 this year. The game will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The most expensive edition is priced at $150.