Electronic Arts is making sweeping changes to its business following its take-private deal, which saddled the company with $20 billion of debt. On Wednesday, EA announced layoffs and the closure of BioWare, the developer behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
The studio had struggled in recent years after Anthem, which shut down earlier this year, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet sales expectations. EA, which acquired BioWare in 2007, said a small team had begun early work on the next Mass Effect game, but decided to cancel that project and close the studio entirely, along with its office in Edmonton, Alberta. In a memo, EA co-presidents Cam Weber and David Tinson called BioWare "a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly."
Overall, EA is laying off around three percent of its workforce, approximately 400 people, according to Variety. The company said it will help affected workers "in exploring other opportunities" within the company. Skate developer Full Circle is also losing workers. The memo said the game, in early access since September last year, has had "a lot of success" in attracting players, but the studio is being reshaped into a more focused, smaller team.
Elsewhere, EA is pausing development of "Project Lotus" at The Sims developer Maxis to funnel resources into Project Evergreen. Respawn and Dice are reportedly collaborating on a new shooter, which Variety's sources say will be Star Wars: Battlefront 3. EA Sports is bringing back the Fight Night series, and EA plans to share more details about these projects in the next few months.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing