What just happened? It's not just big tech companies that are seeing a lot of layoffs right now – the gaming industry is also going through a tough time. The latest cuts are being made by Electronic Arts, which is laying off over 300 people, including 100 at Respawn Entertainment. The decision means several in-development titles have been canceled, including a new Titanfall game.
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, citing people familiar with the cuts, writes that between 300 and 400 positions are being eliminated at EA, with about 100 of those cuts coming from Respawn Entertainment, maker of Apex Legends and the Star Wars Jedi games.
"As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we've made select changes within our organization that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth," an EA spokesperson told Bloomberg.
IGN writes that the cuts have largely impacted EA's Experiences team, which includes groups such as EA's Fan Care team and others working on customer support and marketing. Those affected will be given the opportunity to apply for other roles internally before being laid off.
"We are treating our people with care and respect throughout this process, working to minimize impacts by helping affected employees explore new opportunities within the company when possible and providing support during the transition," the spokesperson added.
An equally corpo-speak statement was posted by Respawn on X confirming the layoffs. It also revealed that two game projects were being canceled.
– Respawn (@Respawn) April 29, 2025
One of the canceled projects, codenamed R7, was an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe. It marks the second Titanfall project killed off by EA in recent times after an Apex Legends/Titanfall crossover game called Titanfall Legends was reportedly canceled in 2023.
The majority of those laid off at Respawn were from the Apex Legends side of the studio, with developers, publishing staff, and quality assurance testers all feeling the impact. In addition, a handful of team members attached to the Jedi franchise, along with small contingents assigned to the two canceled projects, were also included in the cuts.
EA laid off 670 people in 2024 because the $7.56 billion net revenue it earned in the 2024 fiscal period wasn't enough. Including the latest layoffs, EA has let go of 1,800 workers since March 2023.
Jarringly, EA paid its top execs $60 million in the 2024 fiscal period. CEO Andrew Wilson took the majority share: $25.6 million. He was praised for overseeing a "year of continued employee satisfaction scores above industry benchmarks," which included "record high talent retention."