US games giant Electronic Arts (EA) is to buy two video game studios for $855m (£422m) in a deal adding role-playing and action titles to its portfolio.

EA is the world’s biggest games publisher and will now acquire Bioware and Pandemic Studios.

They are private firms that have been partners since a 2005 deal brought them together in VG Holding, a deal backed by private equity firm Elevation.

The buy is the biggest ever for EA, known for its Sims and Madden games.

EA says it plans to release four or five games a year from the new studios in each of the 2009/10 and 2010/11 financial years.

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