Ahead of EA's next investor briefing, the company is making major changes

Apex Legends Studio Cancels Two "Incubation" Projects, Lays Off Staff Amid Big EA Shakeup

Ahead of EA's next investor briefing, the company is making major changes

A memo first seen by IGN states that EA made the decision to "step away from two early-stage incubation projects" at Respawn, along with making "targeted team adjustments" across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi. One of the game cancellations was a multiplayer FPS that we first heard about earlier this year.

Respawn itself confirmed the changes in a memo posted online. In the statement, Respawn said it is a studio that embraces "bold ideas" and "creative risks," but they don't always pan out.

"Our commitment to player-first experiences remains unchanged," Respawn said.

pic.twitter.com/zZ3cWwjRVI

— Respawn (@Respawn) April 29, 2025

EA said it is offering "meaningful support" to affected staffers.

People affected by the layoffs at Respawn include staffers working in publishing, QA, and members of the Star Wars Jedi and incubation teams, IGN reported.

Respawn will continue to develop more content for Apex Legends and build the next Star Wars: Jedi game, but EA declined to confirm if any incubation projects are currently in the works.

For a long time already, EA management had signaled problems for Apex Legends. CEO Andrew Wilson said the game was "not headed in the direction that we have wanted." The executive also has talked about plans for something called "Apex 2.0."

Respawn said it wants to expand "what Apex can be," with developers continue to refine gameplay and "bring new ideas to upcoming seasons." Respawn added that it wants to "push the boundaries of competitive play while staying true to the spirit of competition, creativity, and integrity that our community expects."

As for the Star Wars: Jedi team, Respawn said the next entry in the series aims to "raise the bar again for storytelling and gameplay."

In February 2024, EA laid off around 670 people, which was about 5% of its global workforce. The new round of cuts across EA are said to be "similar" to that round of layoffs in 2024, Grubb said, though the exact number is unclear. EA is making these reported changes just ahead of its next investor briefing on May 6.

To clarify, I've been told the layoffs are more than just Respawn and are similar to last year's February layoff where 670 people were cut. I don't know the exact number.

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— Grubb (Boshi's Boys) (@grubb.wtf) April 29, 2025 at 2:08 PM

The new changes at Respawn come at a time of uncertainty in general in the economic market for most companies due in part to Trump's scattered tariff policies and other factors. Leading global bank JP Morgan says the risk of a global recession stands at around 60%.

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This story originally appeared on: GameSpot - Author:UK GAG