Electronic Arts is the latest video game company to pull out the scissors and reduce staff. According to reports from GamesIndustry.biz, EA is going to lay off about 800 employeeswhich is the same, 6% of its workforce.
EA announced the decision today in a statement to all its employees, signed by the CEO Andrew Wilsonin which he explains the study’s priorities and the reason for these cuts, with which they expect to incur between 170 and 200 million dollars in charges.
“We are moving away from projects that do not contribute to our strategy, reviewing our real estate footprint and restructuring some of our teams,” says Wilson, adding that “this is the hardest part.”
EA dismantles some equipment and reviews its real estate footprint
“We are working through the process with the utmost care and respect. Whenever we can, we offer opportunities for our colleagues to move on to other projects. When that is not possible, we are offering severance pay and additional benefits, such as health insurance and transition services professional”.
Although Wilson has communicated it today, some employees have already been informed of these layoffs in recent weeks, and they will continue to take place during the beginning of the next fiscal year (as of April 1).
These layoffs are in addition to more than 200 testers who were fired last month from the Baton Rouge studio in Louisiana, and that they were part of the Apex Legends test team.
This restructuring probably implies the abandonment of projects that are less economically viable, reinforcing those that are more lucrative, such as Battlefield or sports games (and now that “strange” times are coming in the FIFA saga, or EA Sports FC).
EA is not the only large video game, technology or communication company that has tightened its belt with restructuring in fewer projects and consequent layoffs, and Take-Two comes to mind, with layoffs that included the closure of 2K Games Spain.
In the last few months Disney has laid off 7,000 people, Microsoft has laid off 10,000, Amazon 9,000 (including 400 on Twitch), Meta 10,000…
