Helldivers 2 is getting its first post-launch premium battle pass (also known as a ‘Warbond’) on March 14 and its bringing some electrifying new hardware for players to use in their valiant effort to spread Managed Democracy across the galaxy.
EA cutting 5% of workforce
29.02.2024 - 00:17 / gamesindustry.biz / Andrew Wilson
Electronic Arts today announced that it is laying off approximately 5% of its employees as it leans in on the parts of the business it feels will be the most successful in the years to come.
In its most recent annual report, the publisher gave its headcount as 13,400 as of the end of March 2023, which would put the job losses around 670 people.
The cuts are just one part of the company's restructuring plan, which also includes closing some offices and sunsetting certain live games, like the previously announced shut down of MLB Tap Sports and F1 Mobile Racing.
In a note to staff, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company is also "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry."
GamesIndustry.biz understands that one such title was cancelled as part of this plan, with the teams working on it redeployed to other projects.
Outside of sports or racing, EA's major external licenses in recent years have included Disney properties like Star Wars and Marvel, which the company has tapped for upcoming games based on Black Panther and Iron Man. (An EA representative confirmed both Black Panther and Iron Man remain in development.)
Wilson explained the rationale for the shift away from licensed IP in his note, saying, "This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation, and double down on our biggest opportunities — including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities — to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow."
On the job cuts, Wilson said the publisher "deeply considered every option to try and limit impacts to our teams."
He added that informing people of those impacts is a process that should be "largely completed by early next quarter."
EA's SEC filing detailing the restructuring plan indicates that it will cost the company between $125 million and $165 million. The office space reductions alone may be the biggest part of that, resulting in charges up to $65 million for the company.
Employee severance and related costs are expected to total between $40 million and $55 million, while there will be an additional $35 million to $45 million in "costs associated with licensor commitments."
This is the second time in as many years EA has undergone a restructuring plan with hundreds of layoffs. Last March, the publisher announced a plan to cut approximately 6% of staff, or about 775 people going by the previous year's global employee headcount.
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19.03.2024 / 14:15
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14.03.2024 / 17:21
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14.03.2024 / 13:35
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pushsquare.com
10.03.2024 / 10:49
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thesixthaxis.com
08.03.2024 / 16:57
Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge battle pass revealed with new energy weapons
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wccftech.com
08.03.2024 / 00:45
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screenrant.com
08.03.2024 / 00:21
Everything New Coming To Helldivers 2 Warbond: Cutting Edge
delivers a significant chunk of its content through Warbonds, and while two came alongside the game's launch, a new Warbond is being added to the game just over a month later. Warbonds work much like the battle passes that have become common in live-service games, but they allow players a decent amount of agency in determining the order in which each Warbond's items are unlocked. This new Warbond, called Cutting Edge, is bringing not only new cosmetic items, but new weapons and armor as well.
thesixthaxis.com
07.03.2024 / 21:27
Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge battle pass revealed with new energy weapons
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radiotimes.com
07.03.2024 / 18:15
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As revealed ahead of time by dataminers, new weapons, armour and equipment are coming to Helldivers 2 as part of the new Warbond, Cutting Edge — and we can spill all the beans on the details and release date.
techradar.com
07.03.2024 / 17:03
Helldivers 2 Cutting Edge release date - here's when to expect the next update
Helldivers 2 is getting its first major update next week. It's a new Warbond (Battle Pass) called Cutting Edge and adds new weapons and armor for players to try out. By the looks of things, the new weapons are focused on energy/laser armaments.
videogameschronicle.com
07.03.2024 / 15:24
Helldivers 2’s Cutting Edge Warbond launches next week
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pushsquare.com
05.03.2024 / 21:29
EA Cuts Roughly 700 Jobs in Another Round of Industry Layoffs | Push Square
Just a day after Sony confirmed it's laying off 900 PlayStation employees across its first-party studios, publisher EA has announced it's doing the same. In the region of 670 workers — or around five per cent of the company's workforce — will lose their jobs as the EA Sports FC, Battlefield distributor moves «away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry».