2K announces new Vancouver-based studio led by EA veteran
After almost two decades at EA, Aaron McHardy will act as vice president, executive producer, and head of Small Axe Studios.
Take-Two-owned 2K has announced a new AAA studio led by EA veteran Aaron McHardy.
Small Axe Studios, based in Vancouver, aims to "redefine the future of sports video games." Announced earlier today, McHardy is leading the team as vice president, executive producer, and studio head.
Previous to his new role(s), the lead was the executive producer of the Madden and College Footbal franchises, as well as the FIFA team, over a tenure of almost 18 years.
The studio's current focus is on building "2K's next blockbuster sports franchise," according to a press release. McHardy is far from the only EA veteran in the current staff, with head of design Gary Paterson, head of operations Tom Pan, head of engineering Mike Thompson, and more rounding out the roster.
Small Axe Studios is the second new team under the 2K umbrella announced in the last year. Back in December 2025, Take-Two hired two key developers who were working on the Perfect Dark reboot to start a new studio. Brian Horton, former creative director at The Initiative, started a new role as VP, head of creative at 2K, with Darrell Gallagher joining 2K as SVP, studio head.
Meanwhile, multiple 2K-owned studios have undergone layoffs int he last couple of months. An undisclosed number of workers were laid off at 31st Union back in May, the team working on the free-to-play shooter Project Ethos. A few days later, Visual Concepts, known for its work on games like WWE 2K26, reportedly laid off staff for the third time in three years.
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
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