After news broke that EA was laying off nearly 700 of its staff in a change to move away from licensed IP and focus on its own properties and larger titles, it wasn’t clear how much impact this would have on some of its upcoming Star Wars and Marvel titles.
Now, as reported by IGN, we know that EA Entertainment president Laura Miele has shared a further note with EA staff adding more detail to the situation. One notable part of this is that the company is cancelling a Star Wars FPS in early development at Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Titanfall studio, Respawn.
“It’s always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game,” Miele told staff. “Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.”
“It’s not lost on me that these changes are more than words on a page; they directly impact the work you do every day and, in some cases, mean we are eliminating roles and saying goodbye to talented colleagues. I will never lose sight of the human impact of these decisions, and know that change and disruption aren’t easy. In difficult moments, we must remember how important it is to show up for our players and for each other.”
In addition to the layoffs at EA, Respawn's Star Wars FPS is being canceled. https://t.co/K06ZDrrojr pic.twitter.com/mukWEsVzRI
— IGN (@IGN) February 28, 2024
IGN’s report claims that staff currently working on the project will mostly be reassigned to other projects, like the next Star Wars Jedi installment and the Iron Man and Black Panther games for Marvel, which remain in development.
Other teams affected include Ridgeline Games, which is being closed, and multiple mobile projects are set to be shuttered including F1 Mobile Racing, MLB Tap Sports, Kim Kardashian Hollywood and The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. Bioware remains working on Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, with the latter a priority.
