EA cancels Star Wars title as it moves to cut 670 jobs – EA

Electronic Arts (EA) is moving to The next Star Wars game has been cancelledWhile it began laying off approximately 5% of its employees internationally, or approximately 670 people.

The game, which is in the early stages of development, will be an FPS set in the Star Wars universe. For its part, the company said that the “simplification” process it is undergoing “will provide deeper and more connected experiences” for users. This development comes in addition to a series of recent mass layoffs recorded in the gaming industry.

“Given that we are going through a period where it is extremely difficult to secure funding to start a new game development studio, and thousands of people are being laid off every month, the space is at high risk of losing top talent.” [που θα στραφούν σε εναλλακτικές] “Outside the industry, so it will be impacted for years,” said Rick Baram, a former Blizzard executive.

In December 2023, EA announced that it would be laying off employees from UK-based Codemasters, the studio behind games like F1 23 and EA Sports WRC.

In a letter to employees, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the company has begun notifying workers who will be affected by the development, and the round of layoffs is expected to end by the summer.

At the same time, he explained the decision to develop fewer new titles.

He said: “We are pulling back the curtain on some titles and leaving behind the development of new titles set in worlds to which we have acquired the rights, because we believe they will not be successful in our changing field.”

“the focus [σε λιγότερους τίτλους] We will be able to foster creativity, accelerate innovation, and work harder on our biggest frontiers – including copyrighted worlds, esports, and massive online communities – to deliver the entertainment people want to users, now and in the future.

In a subsequent email sent to employees, EA's head of entertainment, Laura Milley, said the decision translates to the cancellation of an upcoming title in the Star Wars universe, which Respawn Entertainment had been working on. This is the studio behind Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, which received “generally positive” reviews. According to Metacritic.

We're facing a new round of layoffs hitting the gaming industry, with Microsoft in January revealing plans to lay off 1,900 people from the company's gaming division, including some at Activision-Blizzard, which it recently acquired.

EA's announcement comes just two days after news that Sony plans to lay off 900 workers, in addition to closing the entire studio.

According to market analysts, the new layoffs show the intensity of competition in the gaming industry.

“This does not mean that the industry is in trouble, it is just entering a new, more mature chapter of its journey, where efficiency, profitability and competitiveness play a dominant role. The gaming industry still has a turnover of $223 billion,” said Carol Severin, an analyst at the Center for Global Music Research. “While it is estimated that it will boost by an additional $78 billion by 2030. For some comparison, we are talking about amounts that exceed the current size of the global music industry.” Media research.