Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the first five titles as part of its India Hero Project, a new initiative that aims to “unearth and empower India’s brightest game development talents to share their unique visions with gamers globally.”
29.02.2024 - 12:53 / eurogamer.net / Andrew Wilson / Laura Miele / Marcus Lehto
Following its decision to cut six percent of its workforce last March, EA has announced another round of layoffs — this time affecting five percent of staff (around 670 employees) — as it moves away from «future licensed IP» toward its «owned IP, sports, and massive online communities».
In an email to staff announcing today's layoffs, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the cuts were part of a continuing effort to «optimise our global real estate footprint to best support our business».
In order to achieve its goals, Wilson said EA will be «streamlining [its] company operations», «sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry». Additionally, it'll «double down on our biggest opportunities — including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities».
As a result, approximately five percent of EA's workforce will lose their jobs, a move Wilson admitted would «create uncertainty and be challenging for many who have worked with such dedication and passion and have made important contributions to our company.»
«While not every team will be impacted,» Wilson continued, «this is the hardest part of these changes, and we have deeply considered every option to try and limit impacts to our teams. Our primary goal is to provide team members with opportunities to find new roles and paths to transition onto other projects. Where that's not possible, we will support and work with each colleague with the utmost attention, care, and respect.»
According to Wilson, EA has already begun «communicating these impacts» to staff, and the process will be «largely completed by early next quarter.» Today's layoffs follow an initial round of job cuts at the publisher last March, believed to have impacted around 775 people, and further layoffs at the EA-owned F1 developer Codemasters in December.
Notably, while Wilson and EA may be looking to move away from licensed IP in the future, the publisher has previously confirmed it has five high-profile licensed games in the works: two based on Marvel properties — Black Panther and Iron Man — and three Star Wars titles. An EA representative has told GamesIndustry.biz the two Marvel projects remain in development; however, in a seperate note to EA employees, Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment and Technology, revealed the company's strategic shift has resulted in the cancellation of Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars FPS (reportedly a Mandalorian title). Additionally, Miele announced EA will be «winding down» Ridgeline Games, whose single-player Battlefield game will now be handled by Criterion. Ridgeline's founder, Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, recently confirmed his departure from the
Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the first five titles as part of its India Hero Project, a new initiative that aims to “unearth and empower India’s brightest game development talents to share their unique visions with gamers globally.”
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Electronics Arts (EA) has confirmed plans to lay off around five percent of its staff, move away from developing future licensed games it doesn't think will be successful, and begin “winding down Ridgeline as a standalone studio.”
In yet another chapter of the seemingly unending layoff news, Electronic Arts (EA) announced it's laying off 5% of its employees, amounting to around 670 people.
Within days of PlayStation announcing mass layoffs affect 900 jobs, another major publisher has announced a significant reduction in its workforce in the form of Electronic Arts. The company confirms it will be laying off 5% of its total workforce, which is roughly 670 people.
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it will be affected by the ongoing trend of mass layoffs, with plans to lay off 5% of its global staff. With a devastating string of major layoffs afflicting the game industry, a climbing number of developers have lost their jobs in just the first few months of 2024. Within the last few days, several other studios have also announced layoffs, with a notable 900 employees being let go from PlayStation.
A grim year for the video game industry just got grimmer, as EA has plans to cut 670 workers - approximately 5% of its workforce - in a major business shakeup that will include sunsetting existing games and canceling licensed IP.
When will it end? According to GamesIndustry.biz, Electronic Arts announced today that it will be laying off approximately 5% of its workforce which equates to around 670 people. In a note sent out to EA staff, CEO Andrew Wilson indicated the move is part of the company “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.”
Electronic Arts has announced that it, too, is undergoing mass layoffs, with plans to let go 5% of its total global staff, or roughly 670 individuals.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is cutting around 900 members of staff from its workforce.
Anyone working in the video game industry must feel as if they have a target painted on their back. 2023 saw at least 6000 people lose their jobs and 2024 is somehow looking much worse. January saw Microsoft sack 9000 people, there’s been a raft of smaller studio closures and staff cuts. Now Sony has joined this miserable party, handing 900 PlayStation workers their notices across the company.
[UPDATE] According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Sony has also canceled the new Twisted Metal live service game in early development at Firesprite for PlayStation 5 (and possibly PC).