2K’s Small Axe Studio Brings Former FIFA Leaders Together for a New Sports Franchise
The Vancouver-based studio grew out of 2K's Sports Lab and is led by former FIFA executive producer Aaron McHardy.
2K has formed Small Axe Studio, a new triple-A development team that will work on the company’s next major sports franchise. The Vancouver-based studio grew out of 2K’s exploratory Sports Lab project, which was established in 2023.
Small Axe is led by Aaron McHardy, who served as executive producer for EA Sports’ FIFA team for more than 15 years before leaving the role in 2021. At EA Vancouver, he also led the Madden, College Football, and FIFA/EA Sports FC franchises. The studio’s design head, Gary Peterson, also worked on FIFA games, dating back to FIFA 06. His previous work includes the NBA Live franchise and a role as Studio Design Director at Criterion Games.
Several other members of the team bring around two decades of experience at EA Sports. They include head of operations Tom Pan, engineering lead Mike Thompson, and technical art director John Cruz. Pan led AAA development on SSX, NHL, UFC, and FIFA, while Thompson served as technical director for NHL and UFC. Cruz brings 25 years of technical art leadership experience from projects including FIFA, FIFA Street, NBA Street, Skate, and Dead Rising.
Small Axe’s official studio page lists eight team members. The group also includes animation director Brent Breedveld, who spent 14 years at Relic Entertainment and contributed to Age of Empires IV, Company of Heroes, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine; art director Karl Gryc, who most recently worked on Homeworld 3 and Crossfire Legion; and head of HR Trisha MacWan, whose previous leadership roles included positions at Phoenix Labs and EA’s Glu Mobile.
2K said Small Axe will draw on that experience as it works toward a new sports franchise. The company has not identified which sport the project will cover, and it has not announced the studio’s first game or a release window, although the studio’s logo uses a badge design that resembles the crest of a football club.
Small Axe is also hiring for several Vancouver-based positions, including a Gameplay Design Director and a Senior Online Services Software Engineer.
Small Axe takes shape after EA’s FIFA split
The studio’s formation comes after FIFA and EA parted ways following a partnership that lasted almost 30 years. FIFA 23 was the final EA Sports game to use the FIFA branding before the series became EA Sports FC.
FIFA has continued to express interest in producing its own games. The organization has worked on mobile projects and partnered with Football Manager, but it has not yet released a new triple-A console game.
McHardy explained the thinking behind the new studio’s name in a LinkedIn post, saying that Small Axe exists to take on the industry’s “boldest challenges.” He added that the name reflects how “with vision, hunger, and focus, a small axe can take down a big tree.”
2K already has a long history in sports games through its 2K Sports label. Its lineup includes the NBA 2K and WWE 2K franchises, while 2K Sports released a TopSpin game in 2024. Parent company Take-Two Interactive and EA have competed for major sports licenses, including the PGA Tour and NFL rights. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously avoided confirming whether 2K would pursue the FIFA license when asked about it in 2021.
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