Electronic Arts, the video game company also known as EA, is set to lay off hundreds of staff members and shutter its development studio BioWare.
The company will cut about 400 jobs, an estimated 3% of its workforce, according to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg. It’s said 50 of those positions come from the shut down BioWare studio.
In a memo to staff, obtained by the outlet, Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer/President Cam Weber explained to employees that they had “taken a hard look at our business” over the last several months. The executives shared that projects will be cut, including the slated “Mass Effect” game, which had been in early development at BioWare.
The company noted that it planned to keep investing in sports and action-adventure games, highlighting “Apex Legends” as an example.
“Across our portfolio, we’re making deliberate choices to align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth,” Tinson and Weber wrote.
In response to the update, a BioWare spokesperson wrote, “For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life.”
The statement then spotlighted their successful projects, including “Baldur’s Gate,” “Neverwinter Nights,” “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” “Dragon Age,” “Mass Effect” and “Anthem.”
“Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next ‘Mass Effect’ project is ending,” the statement continued. “There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games and supporting one another through this transition.”
The update comes over two months after Electronic Arts officially became private with the closure of the $55 billion buyout from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, private equity firm Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
As we previously reported, the investor consortium acquired 100% of the company, with PIF rolling over its 9.9% stake.
“This moment recognizes the extraordinary people whose creativity, ambition and passion have made EA one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies,” CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement at the time. “We’re entering this next chapter from a position of strength with partners who share our vision and ambition. Together, we’ll invest boldly, accelerate innovation and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire us every day.”
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