Following two mass layoffs in 2023, Electronic Arts has announced layoffs again. The game publisher has revealed that it will lay off 5% of its total workforce. Based on the total number of employees previously announced by EA, this means that between 650 and 670 team members will be laid off.
In a blog post announcing the layoffs, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said: "While not every team will be affected, this is the hardest part of these changes, and we've made every effort to try to reduce the impact on teams. Our primary goal is to provide team members with the opportunity to find new roles and move on to other projects, and if this is not possible, we will fully support and care for each and every colleague with the utmost respect. ”
EA previously laid off 800 employees in early 2023, followed by 50 team members at its well-known developer Bioware Studios.
In a separate blog post, EA Entertainment President Laura Miele said that there will be some changes coming to Respawn, a major studio owned by EA, whose previously announced Star Wars-themed first-person shooter project has been canceled. Mill said the team will now focus on "brand-new projects based on our own brands, while supporting existing games."
In addition, the newly formed studio Ridgeline had planned to develop a single-player game for EA's Battlefield series, but with the departure of studio head Marcus Lehto, the studio's operations in Seattle will be phased out. Some of Ridgeline's team members will be transferred to another Battlefield studio, Ripple Effect, while Criterion will take over the single-player project for the Battlefield franchise.
Mir seems optimistic about the future of the Battlefield series, stating that EA now has "the largest development team in the history of the Battlefield series."
Eventually, EA will discontinue operations of several of its mobile games, including Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, The Lord of the Rings: Heroes Rising, Baseball and F1 Mobile.