Featured Image Credit: EA
Topics: Star Wars, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, EA, Respawn Entertainment
It feels both difficult and wrong to celebrate the confirmation that a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is in the works when it's packaged with the news of yet more industry layoffs.
Just one day after PlayStation announced that it would be letting go of 900 of its employees, including the entirety of PlayStation London Studio, EA has now also confirmed that it’s set to reduce its headcount by 5%, equating to 670 employees. EA said it would streamline operations to “deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom,” adding that they would be “sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry”.
As reported by IGN, one of those affected games is Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming Star Wars first-person shooter, believed to be a Mandalorian bounty hunting game. "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," EA Entertainment president Laura Miele said of the decision. "Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus."
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Alongside that, it was reportedly confirmed that a third entry in the Star Wars Jedi series has been greenlit following the success of last year’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The teams working on the aforementioned Star Wars FPS will reportedly be moved to other projects including Jedi 3, Apex Legends, and the upcoming Iron Man and Black Panther games.
Their fates appear to be safe. It’s not yet known what’s happening to EA’s Star Wars strategy game that was in the works. Elsewhere, the Battlefield teams will also be restructured, Ridgeline Games will shut down, as will a number of mobile titles including F1 Mobile Racing, MLB Tap Sports, Kim Kardashian Hollywood, and The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.
IGN further added that to their understanding, EA’s plans will see them focus on major franchises, live communities, and large open-world games. A small team supposedly remains at work on the next Mass Effect entry, although that’s still in pre-production with the vast majority of BioWare devs working on Dragon Age.
We grant our thoughts to those affected by this latest wave of redundancies.