A year after laying off five percent of its workforce – impacting 670 employees – EA has reportedly cut more than 300 additional jobs, as part of what it called “select changes” at the company. The move has also seen the publisher cancel a number of in-development projects, said to include a new Titanfall game.
EA’s latest round of layoffs was initially reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who – citing a source “familiar with the cuts” – claimed “between 300 and 400 positions” had been eliminated. Around 100 of those cuts were said to have been made at Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi studio Respawn Entertainment.
An EA spokesperson confirmed layoffs had been made in a statement shared with Bloomberg, writing, “As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we’ve made select changes within our organisation that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth.”
A follow-up statement from Respawn acknowledged it had made some “targeted team adjustments”, specifically impacting its Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi teams. “These decisions aren’t easy and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected,” it added. The studio also confirmed it had “made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects”.
Bloomberg reports one of these projects, codenamed R7, was an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe. It seems likely this is the same Titanfall project – lead by Titanfall 1 & 2 director Steve Fukuda – confirmed to be in early development at the start of 2024. Notably, this is the second Titanfall project cancelled by EA in recent years; an Apex/Titanfall crossover, dubbed Titanfall Legends, was reportedly canned in 2023.
“Looking ahead,” Respawn’s statement continued, “our commitment to player-first experiences remains unchanged… For Apex Legends, that means not just delivering competitive, innovative seasons – but expanding what Apex can be.” The studio also highlighted its continuing work on the next Star Wars Jedi, saying it was “aiming to raise the bar again for storytelling and gameplay.”
Today’s layoffs mean EA has now laid off more than 1800 employees since March 2023. Despite that figure, the company’s top executives earned $60m in the fiscal year 2024, $25.6m of that going to CEO Andrew Wilson.
