Not only is EA closing down BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect – Electronic Arts has now announced a heap of drastic changes that include cutting 400 jobs across the company, pausing development on a project connected to The Sims, and bringing together Respawn and DICE.
In a memo first sent to staff and later published online, CEO David Tinson and CSO Cam Weber first took a moment to thank employees before letting them know they might lose their jobs.
“Today, we’re the number one publisher in Western HD gaming,” the duo wrote. “That’s an extraordinary position to lead from, and one we should be proud of. Yet our industry is changing quickly. Players have more choices than ever for their time and attention, competition is intensifying, and some of our biggest opportunities for growth are beyond the markets, platforms, and business models where EA has traditionally been the strongest.”
The executives then laid out some changes to its portfolio of games. Top of the list is the closure of BioWare, the legendary role-playing powerhouse behind games such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Bloomberg reports around 400 jobs will be cut as part of the cost-cutting changes.
As for The Sims, the publisher claims it’s prioritising something called “Project Evergreen” and is giving “the team more time to reach the full potential and vision for the game.” To do so, the execs said they’re “pausing development” on another Sims-related title called “Project Lotus.” The early access Skate reboot (skate.) has apparently “had a lot of success,” but the publisher is still restructuring the studio into a “more focused, smaller team,” regardless.
Marvel’s Iron Man game (the one that leaked recently) and a third Star Wars Jedi game remain untouched, apparently, though it sounds like we’ll see fewer big-budget action-adventure games come from the publisher going forward: “Beyond that, we will concentrate our efforts on fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects, ensuring that every game we build in this space is fully set up for success.”
EA also re-emphasised its commitment to Apex Legends and the Battlefield series after the success of Battlefield 6. But that’s not all. “We’ll be bringing together our Respawn and DICE studios to collaborate on a future project.” There’s been some rumblings about a possible Star Wars: Battlefront follow-up this week, though EA doesn’t give any more concrete details about what this game could be.
Then there’s the publisher’s golden goose, EA Sports. The executives said they’re still committed to FC and the rest of its sport simulations, alongside two new projects that’ll be revealed in the next few months – the return of Fight Night and a “brand-new, social-first open-world experience for our American Football team that we call ‘Project Gridiron'”.
“The decisions we’re making in our priorities, how we work, and with our portfolio reflect our belief in EA’s future. Some open exciting new possibilities. Others are difficult, especially for the people and teams across the company who are directly affected. In those cases, we will support impacted employees in exploring other opportunities within EA, and we’re committed to treating impacted colleagues with care and respect,” the executives added.
A group of investment firms led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund took EA private earlier this summer, in a deal worth around $55 billion.
