Electronic Arts on Thursday announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase Titanfall maker Respawn Entertainment.

The game maker will join EA's Worldwide Studios organization, a global collective of studios that develop games for all major platforms.

EA will pay $151 million in cash for Respawn in addition to up to $164 million in long-term equity in the form of restricted stock units to employees. Said stock units will vest over four years, we're told.

Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, said they've seen firsthand the world-class caliber of Respawn as a development studio with incredible vision, deep talent and an inspiring creative mindset. The two firms' longtime partnership, he added, is grounded in a shared desire to push the boundaries and deliver extraordinary and innovative new experiences for players around the world.

Together, Wilson adds, they've brought this to life in the Titanfall franchise and now with the Respawn team joining EA, they have exciting plans to accomplish even more amazing things in the future.

Respawn currently has several games in development including a new entry in the Titanfall franchise, a new game set in the Star Wars universe and an unnamed virtual reality experience.

The Star Wars game was announced in mid-May 2016 with EA listed as the publisher (in fact, Respawn has worked exclusively with EA since its inception). Stig Asmussen, best known for his work on the God of War series, is serving as the game's director. We're looking at a third-person action / adventure title that could be pretty far away from launch (Respawn was still hiring for the project as of June).

Not much is known about the upcoming Titanfall game and VR experience.