Electronic Arts announces overnight plans Fire 5% of employeesshuttering the studio, shutting down a slew of mobile games, and canceling a first-person shooter based in the Star Wars universe.
It is estimated that EA will receive approx. 670 jobs Redundantly, it has begun “communicating these impacts” to employees. EA expects to complete the process early next quarter.
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“I know this will create uncertainty and challenges for many of the people who work with such dedication and passion and make important contributions to our company. While not every team will be affected, this is the most difficult part of these changes , we have thoroughly considered every option to try to limit the impact on our teams,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in an announcement.
“Our main goal is to provide team members with the opportunity to find new roles and transition pathways to other projects. If this is not possible, we will support and work with each colleague with the utmost attention, care and respect. “
This round of layoffs comes 11 months after EA laid off 6% of its workforce in March 2023, after EA laid off 200 QA staff for “Apex Legends.” The company has also reportedly canceled its single-player Apex Legends project.
In addition to laying off staff and canceling four mobile games, EA said it will no longer develop licensed IP that it believes will not be successful.
“We are also retiring games and stepping away from developing future licensed intellectual property that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry,” said Wilson. “This greater focus allows us to inspire creativity , accelerate innovation and double down on our greatest opportunities – including our owned intellectual property, sports and vast online communities – to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow.”
EA quickly confirmed to multiple outlets that the changes would not affect Marvel projects being developed by Motive and Cliffhanger Games – iron Man and black pantherrespectively.
The reorganization also affects Respawn Entertainment and Battlefield Studios, particularly the Seattle-based studio Ridgeline Gamesformed by EA to develop narrative campaigns set in the Battlefield universe.
EA President of Entertainment and Technology Laura Miele revealed that the company will shut down Ridgeline as an independent studio, which has been in existence since 2022 and has been led by Halo co-founder Marcus Lehto, who earlier this year It was time to leave the studio and EA. Miele said some Ridgeline employees will join EA studio Ripple Effect to develop the “Battlefield” series of games and assist the DICE team and Criterion – the latter is the leader of all single-player projects in the “Battlefield” universe.
Miele lays out EA’s vision battlefield is “ambitious and exciting,” and thanks to the “largest Battlefield team in the series’ history,” along with the leadership of Vince Zampella and Byron Bede, meaningful progress is being made on the upcoming game.
and rebirth entertainmentEA has canceled the studio’s unannounced Star Wars The FPS action game focuses on projects based on the company’s “own brand while providing support for existing games.” EA believes that giving fans “the next installment in the iconic franchise they want” is “the definition of blockbuster storytelling” and “the right focus.”
“Respawn’s unique ability to connect with players and create exceptional gaming experiences is unparalleled in entertainment,” Miele said in a public statement. “We’ve looked at Respawn’s product portfolio over the past few months, and it’s clear that the games our players are most interested in are Jedi and Respawn’s rich library of private brands.
“Understanding this, we have decided to abandon early development of a Star Wars FPS action game and focus our efforts on new projects based on our own brand while providing support for existing games.”
According to Insider Gaming , the canceled Star Wars game has left players in a bind. The Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. While primarily a “linear level experience,” with the Mandalorian jetpack, players can travel to more open areas and earn bounties, enjoy “vertical dash” and fast-paced combat. The main opponents are the various types of Stormtroopers roaming the map, but players will also encounter more difficult “boss-like” enemies such as AT-ST Walkers, and depending on the planet they may encounter Outlaws and other bounty hunters.
The PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S game is said to feature a base of operations that will give players access to ships as well as upgrade stations, armories, galaxy maps, and more.
On the mobile front, EA will remove four games from the iOS and Android stores, despite acknowledging “strong growth opportunities” for the gaming platform.The game has kim kardashian hollywood, Lord of the Rings, tap sport baseballand F1 mobile. EA said that withdrawing these games will allow developers to focus on the remaining games in the portfolio, which the company believes can grow.
EA’s latest layoffs are just the latest in a wave of layoffs affecting the industry. This year alone, PlayStation announced plans to lay off 900 employees and close its London studio, which was developing an online multiplayer game set in modern-day fantasy London; Supermassive Games announced a reorganization that reportedly will affect 90 of its 150 employees; back in January, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard (and its nearly 10,000 employees) three months ago, in October 2023, after The layoffs of 1,900 people across the gaming division shocked many.
Things aren’t much better in 2023, with many companies making layoffs. Two of Embracer’s studios, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, have been hit by layoffs; Sega has reportedly laid off temporary staff; Digital Bros, the company behind 505 Games, which publishes Control and Assetto Corsa, has 30% of global layoffs; “Saints Row” developer Volition shut down after 30 years; Telltale Games laid off most of its employees shortly after acquiring British studio Flavorworks; Team17 suffered layoffs; Shortly before officially becoming part of Microsoft, Team17 Blizzard has laid off several Hearthstone employees.
As you can see, 2023 is shaping up to be a tough year for many development studios, and considering it’s only March tomorrow, 2024 isn’t looking much better.
Losing a job can be emotionally and financially taxing, and the world is getting more expensive every day. The staff at iGamesNews sincerely wish everyone at EA and other companies the best of luck to those affected, and hope you find your destination soon.
