When EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, many expected major changes at the gaming company, including layoffs and game cancellations, among other shakeups. Now, those have begun, with EA on October 21 confirming a series of significant changes impacting the people and teams that worked on many storied franchises.
EA also teased some of what’s to come in the future, including a joint project between Respawn and DICE. Here’s a rundown of all the big EA news today.
Layoffs
EA said in a statement that it made the “difficult” choice to lay off staff, and Bloomberg reported that the cuts will impact about 400 people. Affected staffers will be treated with “care and respect,” EA said, and some impacted employees may have a chance to get a different job within EA.
BioWare closes and new Mass Effect axed
BioWare, the esteemed Canadian developer founded 30+ years ago, is shutting down. The studio employed fewer than 100 people, Bloomberg reported, and the team was working on the next Mass Effect. That game is now canceled.
“BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly,” EA said.
