EA has announced a major company shake-up which will result in roughly 670 people or 5% of its workforce which will be losing their jobs. As part of that same reorganization, Respawn’s Star Wars first-person shooter game which is in development is being canceled.
Following CEO Andrew Wilson’s announcements of the cuts, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele shared a note with staff explaining in more detail what EA’s business priorities would be going forward.
This includes her announcement that EA is shutting down an early development Star Wars FPS action game as part of an ongoing focus on its own owned brands and supporting its existing games.
“It’s always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game, Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.” Miele wrote.
The Star Wars game that was canceled was reportedly a Mandalorian bounty hunter game. It was rumored to feature a Mandalorian protagonist in some way. The fate of EA’s Star Wars strategy game is also unclear. EA is undertaking the move in part due to what it perceives to be a rapid shift toward large open-world games, massive communities, and live service games.
IGN reports that the team previously working on the game will be reassigned to other projects including Apex Legends, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Jedi – which EA has confirmed as a third installment. The Star Wars Jedi franchise will continue, despite EA’s move to focus on owned IP, and EA is said to remain focused on its long-standing relationship with Disney/Marvel.
