ALMOST 700 LAYOFFS, STUDIO CLOSED AND A GAME CANCELLED. THE RESTRUCTURING OF EA

The major restructuring at EA, revealed this Wednesday (28), will result in nearly 700 layoffs, at least one canceled game, and also the closure of a studio. Ridgeline Games, wich was created in 2021 to work on a “narrative campaign in the Battlefield universe”, has been shut down.

A curious detail is that Marcus Lehto, co-founder of the studio and co-creator of Halo, has announced last week that he was leaving the company. Now, he used the X social network to lament the layoffs: “Gut punched to see EA lay off my team”, wrote the executive, emphasizing the “talent” and “value” of the developers to the Battlefield franchise.

With the change, some employees will be laid off, and others will be relocated, according to VGC. Some will move to Criterion, wich will be the new entity in charge of handling the upcoming Battlefield single-playercampaign, while others will transition to Ripple Effect.

“Our vision for Battlefield is ambitious and exciting. The project is making meaningful progress, thanks to the strong leadership of Vince Zampella and Byron Beede and dedicated studios commited to building a Battlefield platform our fans will love. As part of this change, we’ll be winding down Ridgeline as a standalone studio in Seattle, with some team members joining Ripple Effect. They’ll continue to work with team across DICE, Riple, and Criterion as they build the next Battlefield experience.” said Laura Miele, President of EA.

Via: VGC