EA closes BioWare and cuts 400 jobs, with layoffs also hitting Maxis, Respawn and EA Motive

EA is closing BioWare and cutting 400 roles across the publisher, according to Eurogamer. New reporting indicates that layoffs also hit Maxis, Ripple Effect, EA Motive, Full Circle and Respawn Entertainment in addition to BioWare.

Several staff confirmed their departures. Maxis senior director Anna Huerta said on LinkedIn that she had left EA. Ripple Effect artists Brandon Garcia, Corey Thomas and Turner Spring also confirmed their exits, while Catheryn Grant, operations product manager at Ripple Effect and Respawn, said she was among those impacted.

EA Motive senior gameplay designer Jamieson Shearer was affected, as were Full Circle senior designer David Milne and seasonal creative director John Epler.

Project Lotus paused as EA prioritises other titles

EA said it paused development of an unannounced Sims project called Project Lotus to focus on Project Evergreen. It also said it is downsizing Full Circle and investing heavily in Respawn to support Apex Legends, which is co-developing a project with DICE, reportedly Star Wars: Battlefront 3.

The publisher said it is putting its full weight behind EA Motive's Iron Man game and Respawn's Star Wars Jedi sequel. This is the first round of layoffs at EA since its acquisition by a consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.

Earlier this year, EA was fully acquired by that consortium for $55bn. When the deal closed, EA told debt investors it would cut $700m in annual costs, including $170m in organisational efficiencies.