EA Announces Major Layoffs Impacting BioWare and Other Studios
- EA is closing BioWare and cutting 400 roles across its studios, including BioWare’s 50 employees.
- Maxis, Ripple Effect, EA Motive, and Full Circle also facing layoffs amid a shift in project priorities.
- These layoffs mark the first significant job cuts since EA’s acquisition earlier this year for $55 billion.
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the closure of BioWare, well-known for its work on the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, as part of a broader restructuring that will result in the elimination of 400 positions across the publisher. While EA confirmed that 50 employees at BioWare would be affected, it did not disclose where the remaining 350 layoffs would occur.
Recent reports suggest that other studios, including Maxis, Ripple Effect, and EA Motive, will also see job cuts. According to Vertical Slice, an anonymous source and corroborating LinkedIn information indicate that these layoffs will extend to Full Circle and BioWare.
Among those confirming their departures on LinkedIn are Maxis senior director Anna Huerta, as well as three artists from Ripple Effect: Brandon Garcia, Corey Thomas, and Turner Spring. Additionally, operations product manager Catheryn Grant, senior gameplay designer at EA Motive Jamieson Shearer, and Full Circle’s senior designer David Milne and seasonal creative director John Epler have also reported being affected by the layoffs.
In a staff memo shared recently, EA announced it would pause development on an unannounced Sims project known as Project Lotus, redirecting focus to a different title called Project Evergreen. The company noted it was downsizing Full Circle to enhance player engagement over the long term, indicating possible job cuts at those studios.
Layoffs at Respawn are particularly unexpected, as EA previously indicated it would heavily invest in the studio to support the growth of the free-to-play shooter Apex Legends. Furthermore, Respawn is co-developing a new title with DICE, rumored to be Star Wars: Battlefront 3. EA is also committed to supporting Motive Studio’s Iron Man game and Respawn’s sequel to Star Wars Jedi, the publisher’s only two action-adventure projects currently in development.
This marks EA’s first significant layoff wave following its acquisition by a consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, investment firm Silver Lake, and private equity company Affinity Partners, which was finalized earlier this year for $55 billion—one of the largest leveraged buyout transactions in history. Following the acquisition, EA had indicated plans to cut $700 million in annual expenses, which included $170 million attributed to “organisational efficiencies,” raising concerns about potential substantial layoffs at the publisher.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
