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Electronic Arts is laying off 5% of its workforce
29.02.2024 - 11:51 / videogameschronicle.com / Respawn Entertainment / Andrew Wilson / Bethesda Softworks / Laura Miele / Marcus Lehto / Tom Ivan
Electronic Arts has announced a restructuring plan that will see it lay off approximately 5% of its global workforce.
The company employed 13,400 staff as of March 2023, according to its most recent annual filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, meaning it could be cutting about 670 jobs.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a letter to employees: “Given how and where we are working, we are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business.
“We are also sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.
“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.
Sources have told VGC that as part of the cuts, EA has cancelled an in-development Star Wars first-person shooter at Respawn.
Announced in 2022, the FPS game was being helmed by former LucasArts veteran and Medal of Honor co-creator Peter Hirschmann, who previously worked on the original Battlefront games, The Force Unleashed and more.
Hirschmann most recently directed 2020 VR title Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
EA Entertainment president Laura Miele has confirmed the cancellation of the Star Wars FPS.
“Respawn‘s unique ability to connect with players and create exceptional game experiences is unrivaled in entertainment,” she said in a statement. “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 always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game. Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.”
EA has closed Ridgeline Games, the studio formed in 2021 to work on a future Battlefield single-player game.
The Seattle-based studio was established in late 2021 and has been staffing up for its debut project, which was described as “a narrative campaign in the Battlefield universe”.
Last week it was confirmed that the studio’s co-founder, Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, had departed the company for apparent personal reasons. Lehto reacted to the news on X on Wednesday, suggesting he was unaware of plans to close Ridgeline.
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