Respawn reportedly lay off staff across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi teams, cancel two incubation projects

Update: Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has since reported that between 300 and 400 positions have been “eliminated” across EA, including around 100 at EA. One of the cancelled incubation projects was also apparently an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe.

Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment have announced that two of its incubation projects have been cancelled, leading to what it calls a number of “target team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi.” You may notice that this language is particularly obtuse, in that it doesn’t refer to these adjustments as layoffs. However, according to a report from IGN, layoffs have occurred, though just how many is currently unknown.

IGN says that it believes around 100 individuals are affected by the decision, which includes developers, publishing, and QA workers across the aforementioned Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, and incubation projects. It’s worth noting that one of these projects was actually reportedly cancelled in March, and IGN understands that “some, though not all, of the developers from the incubation project reported on in March have already been moved to work on Iron Man at EA Motive, Battlefield, and other projects.”

EA also reportedly didn’t comment on how many have been impacted, but did say that they are offering those affected 30 days to find another role within the company. They’re also apparently trying to help find roles for as many people as they can internally.

The report also says that Respawn SVP of operations Daniel Suarez is now taking over the role of general manager at the studio, reporting directly to Vince Zampella. Alongside being founder of the studio, Zampella was previously general manager, while also serving as the head of the Battlefield series. Zampella is continuing as group GM and EVP for both Battlefield and Respawn.

It’s probably also worth noting that Jeff Grubb, known for his insider information (he recently accurately reported on the Oblivion remaster dropping last week), has apparently been told that there are wider layoffs taking place at EA. Grubb says he doesn’t know an exact number, but it’s apparently similar in size to the layoffs that took place last year, which saw around 670 employees affected at the time.

Honestly, the whole announcement from Respawn is predictably tone deaf. It claims that Apex Legends will be “exploring bold experiences that push the boundaries of competitive play”, while ignoring the fact that cutting a team to such a degree whilst it’s in the midst of making “Apex 2.0” won’t help them meet those margins the game is currently failing to achieve. Fingers crossed that everyone affected is able to land on their feet.