Publisher Electronic Arts recently announced a major wave of layoffs – and this has now also reached the developers of Apex Legends at Respawn Entertainment.
After EA announced that around five percent of its entire workforce – and therefore hundreds of employees – would be laid off, the whole thing now also has direct consequences for Respawn Entertainment. The developers of Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi and (in earlier days) Titanfall are now being hit by layoffs.
Aaron Stump, level designer at Respawn Entertainment, confirmed the event via social media: “The Apex team was hit with layoffs today. It’s humbling to see people I’ve worked with for close to three years being let go.” Stump wishes all laid-off developers that they will soon land a new job.
The Apex team was hit with layoffs today. It sucks seeing some of the people I’ve worked with for almost 3 years now get let go. Hopefully, they land on their feet sooner rather than later.
— Aaron (@AaronWStump) March 14, 2024
One of those affected is apparently Alex Ackerman, previously global social media lead for the long-running battle royale. “After 20 seasons of Apex Legends and almost five years to the day at Respawn, my job became redundant and I was laid off. Working on this game and supporting the community has truly been the honor of my career and a highlight of my life.” said Ackerman.
Build Engineer Tyler Owens also expressed his dismay. However, it initially remained unclear how many employees in the Apex team were affected. There may be more clarity on this in the coming days. Either way: The waves of layoffs in the games industry continue.
“Inner Beast” is the next collection event in Apex Legends.
