EA lays off hundreds, cancels Respawn’s Star Wars FPS game

After spending over $300 million on stock buybacks

EA is laying off nearly 700 employees in the company’s next fiscal quarter, company CEO Andrew Wilson said in a note to EA staff, and will no longer pursue licensed IP. The layoffs total approximately 670 people, or roughly five percent of EA’s total workforce, and EA will cancel several projects as well, including a Star Wars game.

The news comes a few months after EA reported revenue of $1.9 billion in the company’s second fiscal quarter of 2024 and spent $325 million on stock buybacks. EA will pay approximately $50 million in employee severance packages.

Wilson and EA entertainment president Laura Miele said that, rather than continuing to pursue licensed IP, the company will focus on releasing new installments of blockbuster franchises. IGN reported that an unannounced Star Wars FPS game from Respawn was canceled. Star Wars Jedi 3 and EA’s Black Panther game, both of which are based on licensed IP, will continue development.

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"It's always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game," Miele said. "Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus."

EA will reportedly close production on MLB Tap Sports, The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle Earth, and a handful of other mobile games.

IGN says that EA’s owned properties, including Apex Legends, Battlefield, Star Wars Jedi, Dragon Age, and The Sims, will remain the company’s priority moving forward. Mass Effect is also included in that, though IGN’s sources told them that Mass Effect 5 remains early in pre-production.

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