Respawn Entertainment, the maker of the popular Apex Legends game, has been hit by layoffs as part of a broader job cut by its parent company Electronic Arts. According to one source, around 23 people were impacted by the layoff.
The layoff is coming on the heels of a recent cancellation of a Star Wars FPS. Last month, Electronic Arts announced that it was laying off over 600 employees, or around 5% of its global workforce. According to reports, Respawn Entertainment is working on a new title set in the same universe as Titanfall.
During the announcement of the cancellation of the Star Wars FPS, Laura Miele, EA entertainment and technology president said it will allow the studio to focus on new projects based on “Respawn’s rich library of owned brands”, in addition to existing series like Star Wars Jedi.
ALSO READ: Saber Interactive Assets Sold For $247 Million As Embracer Withdraws From Russia
Last week, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson said players of Apex Legends should expect to start seeing the game “expand beyond the traditional battle royale universe” in the coming years, and the company hopes to attract more players to the franchise.
Video game workers continue to face waves upon waves of layoffs. Last year, it was estimated that over 10,000 workers were laid off from the industry. In the first two months of this year, the number of layoffs in the industry has already exceeded 6,000. At this rate, the number of layoffs in the industry this year will likely double the number of layoffs recorded last year.
ALSO READ: 2 Ways To Play PS5 In Tesla Exposed
Several factors have been blamed for the rising wave of layoffs in the industry including the increasing adoption of AI in the industry and the urge by companies to impress investors. However, decreasing spending on games and the rising cost of game development are also partly responsible for the problem.
Respawn Entertainment employees react to the layoff
Respawn Entertainment employees have been talking about how they have been impacted by the layoff—including those who were not laid off. One of those who has spoken up about the layoff is level designer Aaron Stump. Although he was not directly impacted, he said it was painful to see some of the people he has worked with for three years leave.
“The Apex team was hit with layoffs today,” Stump wrote on X. “It sucks seeing some of the people I’ve worked with for almost 3 years now get let go. Hopefully, they land on their feet sooner rather than later.”
ALSO READ: Opinion: Sweet Baby Inc Detected Is The Kind Of Conversation That Gets Us Nowhere
A senior writer at Respawn Entertainment Pete Stewart was also not laid off but said it was a “rough day” at EA and Respawn. “Although I’m thankful to be safe, my thoughts are with everyone affected by the ongoing layoffs, and if there’s any way I can help or signal boost, I will do,” wrote Stewart on X. “It’s really hard to find the energy and joy to make games in this environment.”
I'm good, mostly we're good. Just lost a few good people across the whole team and studio today.
— Pete Stewart 🏳️🌈 (@Peter5tewart) March 14, 2024
Respawn Entertainment’s global social media lead Alex Ackerman was not so lucky as she was one of those impacted by the layoff. Ackerman has over 12 years of experience in communications and 10 of those years were spent in games and 5 in live service.
“Well friends, after 20 Seasons on Apex Legends and 5 years at Respawn nearly to the day, I have had my role as Global Social Media Lead made redundant and find myself laid off,” Ackerman wrote on LinkedIn. “It has been an honor and a pleasure not only growing the Apex Legends social channels from the ground up, but fostering the rich community that has followed.”
Our heart goes out to everyone impacted by the recent layoffs in the game industry and hope they find new roles and keep making great games.
