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[Xellos]

Wow, that sucks. Hope everybody lands on their feet.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

I was just at a job fair a few weeks back for ex-Lucas folk let go by the Disney layoffs, EA was recruiting heavily there.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Are they still without a CEO, as well?

I could easily understand this as being the first act of a newly crowned head, but before that? Seems alarming.

 

[gazele]

Wow, that's a lot if true, really sucks :/

Shouldn't companies be gearing up for the new generation not firing people?

 

[GulAtiCa]

2000?! Wow! Sorry for all those who lost their jobs.

 

[Nirolak]

Are they still without a CEO, as well?

I could easily understand this as being the first act of a newly crowned head, but before that? Seems alarming.

They haven't officially announced a CEO, but it's possible they've effectively chosen one and just not announcing it until their fiscal call.

 

[Aquamarine]

I wonder how many of EA's titles / IPs / studios will end up being shuttered because of this.

Are they still without a CEO, as well?

I could easily understand this as being the first act of a newly crowned head, but before that? Seems alarming.

No CEO. It's part of a broad re-organization strategy drafted by the board + potentially new CEO to significantly cut all of the "fat" out of the company and prioritize profitability over all else.

 

[Effect]

Wow. That is a huge number of people.

 

[Kyou]

thanks internet, i guess?

 

[Sblargh]

Sorry the ignorance, but what exactly is EA Partners?

Also, fuck, 2000 people. Dang.

 

[Jb]

I hope Jeff Green's fine.

 

[kase23]

Can we get a health check on Jeff Green?

I hope Jeff Green's fine.

I feel guilty and selfish that this is always the first thing that pops into my head when ever there's news of EA lay offs...

 

[SolidSnakex]

I wonder how many of EA's titles / studios will end up being shuttered because of this.

Has the Danger Close closure been confirmed? Nirolak?

 

[Nirolak]

Sorry the ignorance, but what exactly is EA Partners?

Also, fuck, 2000 people. Dang.

It was their publishing arm for external studios, converted from their old distribution arm.

 

[Schnozberry]

I'm no expert on this, but laying off that many people can only happen when some massive changes are expected to happen right?

I would think cutting nearly 20% of your workforce would be signs of major changes. Hopefully they don't become just a BattleField/EA sports factory. That would be terrible news for the industry overall.

 

[SniperHunter]

2000 people....wow, I have no words

 

[Nirolak]

Has the Danger Close closure been confirmed? Nirolak?

Well, blue_max mentioned they had been dissolved and the members either moved to Battlefield 4, Command & Conquer, or laid off.

LinkedIn supports this statement.

 

[Wyndstryker]

Wow, that's a lot if true, really sucks :/

Shouldn't companies be gearing up for the new generation not firing people?

Cost cutting by getting rid of people is also a way to get money for next gen development.

 

[GoddyofAus]

I didn't think it was possible, but EA just got a little worse. 2000 is just......Wow, you assholes.

 

[Aquamarine]

I would think cutting nearly 20% of your workforce would be signs of major changes. Hopefully they don't become just a BattleField/EA sports factory. That would be terrible news for the industry overall.

Yep. 2000 employees cut = Massive company-wide overhaul = Sweeping, fundamental, hardline changes in product lineup.

 

[Data West]

Well, blue_max mentioned they had been dissolved and the members either moved to Battlefield 4, Command & Conquer, or laid off.

LinkedIn supports this statement.

I totally forgot they had a C&C in development.

 

[Bisnic]

thanks internet, i guess?

Winning Worst Company in America does have its consequences.

 

[Fularu]

I would think cutting nearly 20% of your workforce would be signs of major changes. Hopefully they don't become just a BattleField/EA sports factory. That would be terrible news for the industry overall.

Tbh they're already a sports/nfs/the sims/bf factory for all intents and purposes

 

[Chopper]

dat Microsoft partnership.

This sucks. I wonder if Guildford is affected.

 

[SniperHunter]

Well, blue_max mentioned they had been dissolved and the members either moved to Battlefield 4, Command & Conquer, or laid off.

LinkedIn supports this statement.

Didn't you say they would rotate between a numbered Battlefield title and Bad Company?

 

[Stet]

They should've listened to this lady:

10% is nuts, though. Yikes.

 

[Nirolak]

Yep. 2000 employees cut = Massive company-wide overhaul = Sweeping, fundamental, hardline changes in product lineup.

This would pretty much result in them being a Sports + Mobile + 3-4 core game a year publisher, especially if they're also dumping EA Partners.

 

[Nirolak]

Didn't you say they would rotate between a numbered Battlefield title and Bad Company?

Was conjecture on my part. Incorrect conjecture. EA did say they have a plan for annualizing shooter offerings though, but at this point I don't know what that is.

 

[element]

This is a lot larger than just EA Partners. This is a global overhaul that will hit every studio.

 

[Mpl90]

thanks internet, i guess?

What the

 

[Schnozberry]

Tbh they're already a sports/nfs/the sims/bf factory for all intents and purposes

Yeah, it's just kind of sad to see them double down on the AAA bubble. It could spell disaster for them in the long term.

 

[Petrae]

Cost cutting by getting rid of people is also a way to get money for next gen development.

Indeed. Given EA's statement-- "priorities in new technologies and mobile"-- it could be interpreted that they're cutting positions to gear up for new-gen (PS4/Durango) development moving forward. Mobile isn't doing well enough on its own to subsidize new-gen development.

 

[Desaan]

EA have had too many fingers in too many pies for far too long.

This was inevitable really. Sucks for all those people to lose their jobs because of mismanagement.

 

[Kifimbo]

Nevermind.

 

[Videoneon]

I wonder how many of EA's titles / IPs / studios will end up being shuttered because of this.

Which is already a bizarre prospect. Opiate touched on this too in the recent Jimquisition thread:

Not only are the number of big publishers dwindling (Eidos is now part of SE, Midway is gone, THQ is gone, etc.), but the actual number of major releases from the remaining publishers is dwindling too (EA released 70+ retail games in 2007, but released just 17 last year). So it isn't as if THQ is going under and EA or Activision is picking up the slack.

This isn't a sudden trend that took hold last year, either. It's been a persistent pattern now for at least the better part of a decade, if not longer. You can see how a market could slowly die or become irrelevant with a trend like that.

What a bloodbath.

 

[Nirolak]

This is a lot larger than just EA Partners. This is a global overhaul that will hit every studio.

Yeah EA Partners was only a 50 person outfit.

 

[TalesOfWin]

I guess DICE Is fine, I mean they're the one raking in the cash lately.

 

[plantedunicorn]

Is he serious with this? What the shit?

 

[MikeE21286]

This is very not good...

 

[Coolwhip]

Like that silly award has anything to do with it.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I wonder if they'll get the same kind of parachute John Riccitiello got:

 

[MaximumFlipFlop]

What a fucking twat.


Edit - sorry dude is an asshole and posted that tweet out of context.

 

[Nirolak]

That's an old aegies tweet about Adam Orth.

 

[grimshawish]

New management. This isn't that absurd. EA has too many releases on consoles and mobile.
They need to cut the fat and focus on their successes.

EA Sport is their COD; everything else is supplementary.
Not good though going into next gen in this state.

 

[Nokterian]

2000? Well damn that is a insane number. Good luck to those affected.

 

[2MF]

Hope it doesn't affect DICE because I'm one of the noobs there... I'd be screwed for sure.

On the plus side DICE has been expanding lately, so it wouldn't make any sense to do layoffs now.

 

[infinityBCRT]

I'm hearing 2,000 employees = 10% of the company (which suggests they had about 20,000 employees), but unless I'm reading this wrong, EA had 9,225 employees as of Q1 FY13 (near the bottom)

http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=696991

 

[ShockingAlberto]

The Gies tweet is from the Adam Orth thing.

Calm down, guys.

 

[Nirolak]

I'm hearing 2,000 employees = 10% of the company (which suggests they had about 20,000 employees), but unless I'm reading this wrong, EA had 9,225 employees as of Q1 FY13 (near the bottom)

http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=696991

Yes 10% would be more like 900-1000 employees.

 

[alba]

Nintendo: "Please understand"

Square Enix: "Please be excited"

EA: "Please go"

Absolute gold.