Vertical Slice report details low morale at EA and BioWare
Anonymous sources tell Vertical Slice that EA leadership pushes AI tools as 'the future' while morale hits an all-time low.
Morale at Electronic Arts is at an all-time low, according to a report from Vertical Slice citing anonymous sources. The report, published by reporter Chris Kerr, describes frustration over generative AI and mismanagement, including at BioWare.
Sources told Vertical Slice that upper management was enthusiastic about Claude and generative AI, to the dismay of some teams. Managers reportedly push AI tools as "the future" and make work difficult without them, without formally calling them a mandate.
Sources also said EA leaders are protected from failure because EA Sports FC funds their bad bets. One source said a recent email about organisational changes sounded as if it was written by a robot.
At BioWare, sources described mismanagement including pressure to build live-service games and reliance on 14 UX research studies.
Background
Last week, EA cut jobs at BioWare. BioWare had previously been pushed toward live-service games such as Anthem and had messy development cycles on Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Battlefield 6 laid off several developers and then paid EA's CEO $38 million for the game's success. In 2025, CEO Andrew Wilson's yearly pay was worth roughly 305 median salaries at the publisher's studios.
Quick answers
What does the Vertical Slice report say about EA?
It says morale at EA is at an all-time low, citing anonymous sources, and describes enthusiasm for generative AI among upper management and mismanagement at BioWare.
Are AI tools mandatory at EA?
Sources told Vertical Slice that managers push AI tools as "the future" and make work difficult without them, but without formally calling them a mandate.