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Major video game developer to be headquartered in downtown Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mayor Buddy Dyer announced some big changes coming to Creative Village during the city's State of Downtown address.

Video game developer EA Sports, known for popular titles such as Madden NFL and FIFA, has come to an agreement to bring its headquarters to a $6 million property that the company will rent for at least 15 years.

The deal is part of a community redevelopment area, meaning the company will likely earn millions in property tax revenue in exchange for the increased value in the property.

"EA's presence here creates an immediate pipeline with our educational partners in and around the Creative Village," said Dyer.

Dyer said the company plans to relocate about 700 employees with salaries 150 percent higher than the average annual wage in Orange County. EA said they're hopeful to grow to 1,000 jobs by 2025.

Dyer also said that one in seven of EA's employees on its game development and production team are products of the graduate level video game development school at the University of Central Florida.

The city said the company will submit a community action plan each year with programs to benefit children in Parramore.

The deal is expected to close by May of 2020.

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