Apex Legends developer Respawn is the latest studio to be affected by EA layoffs.
29.02.2024 - 10:53 / thesixthaxis.com / Respawn Entertainment / Andrew Wilson / Laura Miele / London Studio
EA is the latest game company to announce layoffs, with 5% of its workforce to be made redundant. From the most recent headcount EA provided – 13,400 in March 2023 – that would amount to around 670 people.
As part of this restructuring plan, EA has also cancelled games, is sunsetting certain live games, and is closing down a development studio.
These include a Star Wars The Mandalorian FPS that was in development at Respawn Entertainment, and the closure of Battlefield studio Ridgeline Games, which had only just been founded in October 2021 to work on the Battlefield franchise – VGC reports Criterion will now lead up the next single player Battlefield.
In a message to employees, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said that the company will be “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.” This will let them “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.”
That would certainly explain the cancellation of The Mandalorian game, though EA representatives have confirmed that their Black Panther and Iron Man games are both still in development. GamesIndustry.biz reports that the team at Respawn has been redeployed to other projects, while EA’s Laura Miele has stated that some of the Ridgeline team will be moved to LA-based Ripple Effect (which is quite a relocation from Seattle) and shift to multiplayer projects.
EA’s Laura Miele said, “As we’ve looked at Respawn’s portfolio over the last few months, what’s clear is the games our players are most excited about are Jedi and Respawn’s rich library of owned brands. Knowing this, we have decided to pivot away from early development on a Star Wars FPS Action game to focus our efforts on new projects based on our owned brands while providing support for existing games.”
It’s another week of mass layoffs in the games industry, with Sony announcing 900 redundancies and the closure of London Studio, Supermassive Games cutting 10% of their workforce, Deck Nine 20%, and Die Gute Fabrik going on hiatus while they search for more funding.
via GamesIndustry.biz, VGC
Apex Legends developer Respawn is the latest studio to be affected by EA layoffs.
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The upcoming Star Wars strategy game is still in development, Bit Reactor has confirmed. The studio's project status update was offered as part of a wider reflection on the recent news of Electronic Arts canceling Respawn's Star Wars FPS, which was rumored to place the players in the shoes of a Mandalorian bounty hunter.
EA is the latest game company to announce layoffs, with 5% of its workforce to be made redundant. From the most recent headcount EA provided – 13,400 in March 2023 – that would amount to around 670 people.
Details about Respawn's canceled Star Wars video game have emerged, as its first-person shooter gameplay would have seemingly provided players with an action-packed linear experience in the role of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. Though Respawn's foray into the Galaxy Far Far Away has been through Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, two critically acclaimed Star Wars titles, Respawn's rise to fame came through Titanfall, a first-person shooter franchise published by Electronic Arts. Widely praised for its fun gameplay, it made sense that Respawn would eventually tackle a Star Wars first-person shooter, which is why the project's cancelation came as a shock to the gaming community as a whole.
Electronic Arts has announced a restructuring plan that will see it lay off approximately 5% of its global workforce.
EA has confirmed they are closing Ridgeline Games.
Electronic Arts has announced the closure of Ridgeline Games, the studio working on a new single-player Battlefield campaign.
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.
Electronic Arts has closed Ridgeline Games, the studio formed in 2021 to work on a future Battlefield single-player game.