In 2023 EA opened a brand new studio named Cliffhanger Video games, led by former Monolith head Kevin Stephens, and introduced a brand new third-person, singleplayer recreation starring Marvel’s Black Panther. They’ve now cancelled that recreation and shut down that studio, IGN report.
In keeping with EA Leisure president Laura Miele, by way of an e-mail despatched to workers, this has been carried out to “sharpen our focus and put our artistic power behind probably the most important progress alternatives.”
Moreover, each EA’s cell and central groups will see an unconfirmed variety of layoffs – understood by IGN to be lower than the 300 workers laid off in April. From the report:
“These choices are exhausting,” Miele wrote. “They have an effect on folks we’ve labored with, realized from, and shared actual moments with. We’re doing every thing we are able to to assist them — together with discovering alternatives inside EA, the place we’ve had success serving to folks land in new roles.
EA are reportedly making efforts to search out affected staff different roles inside the firm, by way of an inside placement applications. “Our partnership with Marvel stays robust and our multi-title, long-term collaboration continues,” Miele advised IGN, whereas additionally saying within the authentic e-mail that EA can be specializing in Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends going ahead.
EA workers have been left “upset and confused” at a return to office mandate earlier this month. In-person work, mentioned CEO Andrew Wilson in an e-mail to workers, results in “a kinetic power that fuels creativity, innovation, and connection, usually leading to sudden breakthroughs that result in unimaginable experiences for our gamers”. Final 12 months, EA laid off 5% of their workforce, (round 670). Regardless of these current layoffs, the corporate now employs 800 extra folks than this time final 12 months, report Game File (paywalled). IGN word that is seemingly as a consequence of EA growing the dimensions of core groups, which scans with Miele’s acknowledged deal with just a few choose recreation sequence.
Between them, Andrew Wilson and Laura Miele took home around $40 million in 2024.
Here is a good video on the EA-published Spore I watched a few of final evening. When Spore was launched, it shipped with some undisclosed dodgy DRM software program named Securom that restricted every copy to 3 system installs by way of a code. For those who occurred to improve your {hardware} throughout this time, there’s an opportunity you’ll have been locked out of enjoying the sport you acquire. Partly because of this, Spore stays one of the pirated video games of all time, though whether or not you must pirate each product Andrew Wilson has a hand in from now till the tip of time is the form of query you will must reply your self.
