Electronic Arts Cuts 3% of Staff as BioWare Studio Closes

By Daniel Okafor

Electronic Arts will lay off about 3% of its global workforce, roughly 400 people, and close BioWare. The cuts form the company’s first major move since it went private this summer.

EA last reported 14,500 employees. Cam Weber, its president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, its president and COO, set out the restructuring in a Wednesday memo to employees.

The memo said: “Over the past several months, we’ve taken a hard look at our business, how we operate, and what it will take to lead in this next era of interactive entertainment,” the executives wrote. They also claimed EA was the number one publisher in Western high-definition gaming, with games and communities reaching hundreds of millions of people.

On Aug. 4, EA closed its announced private-equity deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners. The company valued the all-cash transaction at $55 billion.

What does the BioWare closure end?

EA will stop early development of a new Mass Effect title. The decision closes BioWare, including its Edmonton workspace in Canada, where a small team had been working on the project.

The memo continued: “BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly,” Weber and Tinson said.

EA said affected employees could explore other opportunities within the company. It also committed to treating departing colleagues with care and respect. The adjective is ceremonial. The layoffs are not.

How are Respawn and DICE being regrouped?

EA plans to continue developing future Battlefield titles while bringing Respawn and DICE together on another project. Weber and Tinson did not identify that project in the memo.

Multiple sources cited by Variety identified it as Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for Lucasfilm. Only the collaboration between the two studios is confirmed so far.

The executives described Battlefield 6 as a success and said the company learned from its launch and live service, meaning ongoing updates and support. They also promised to rebalance resources and apply that experience across the shooter portfolio.

In the memo, EA said it will pair Battlefield’s launch lessons and technology with a broader shooter portfolio, while adding new multiplayer modes and other experiences to Apex Legends over the next few years.

What survives in action-adventure?

EA remains committed to Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game, which the executives described as two major launches. EA called action-adventure one of the industry’s most competitive and high-stakes genres.

Beyond those projects, the company will concentrate on fewer simultaneous large-scale releases. The change is closer to a production schedule with fewer overlapping builds than a wholesale retreat from action-adventure games.

What is EA SPORTS developing?

EA SPORTS says it remains committed to the global growth of its FC franchise and the wider portfolio, with two new projects due for reveal over the coming months.

• Project Gridiron: A new “social-first open-world experience” for EA Sports’ American Football team.
• Fight Night: A return to the fan-favorite boxing game after a 15-year hiatus. The project is in pre-production, the planning stage before full production, and will use capabilities from EA’s simulation-fighting team.

How are The Sims and Skate changing?

EA says it will give Project Evergreen more time for The Sims, pause development on Project Lotus, and reshape Skate. around a smaller team and a clear community roadmap. The company will prioritize The Sims project to reach its intended vision.

For Skate., EA cited the game’s initial success in attracting players and its need to retain them. The company will operate the studio with fewer staff and a more focused development group.

EA expects that structure to produce what it calls a healthier and more sustainable business. The plan gives The Sims more time while reducing the studio behind Skate.

What are EA’s three priorities?

The memo organizes EA’s strategy around three named priorities. Each carries a practical instruction rather than a slogan.

• Deepen Our Core: Concentrate teams, technology and investment around EA’s largest franchises and global communities. That requires saying no to projects the company still values.
• Expand Our Reach: Reach more players through new platforms, markets and business models, with experiences tailored to local cultures and expectations, particularly in Asia.
• Transform Our Business: Use EA’s experience in interactive entertainment and its relationships in sports to create new ways for fans to engage with teams, athletes and sports. Such investments will expand only when they demonstrate real potential.

EA said employees asked for clearer priorities, faster decisions and closer collaboration between teams. The company has already begun simplifying how it works and plans to discuss the restructuring at its next Global Town Hall in November.

The next test is whether smaller teams can deliver two major action-adventure launches, a reported Star Wars project and an expanded Apex Legends without rebuilding the concentration EA says it wants to avoid.