EA Cancelled Respawn’s Star Wars FPS But Jedi And These Other Games Remain On Track

EA joined a growing list of tech companies, such as PlayStation, in 2024 to announce it would layoff a significant amount of its employees, and the year has barely begun. While EA announced this week it would lay off 5% of its workforce globally (around 670 employees), along with “sunsetting” several games and cancelling development of others, there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Star Wars and Marvel fans.

As part of the reduction in the company’s workforce, it closed its Seattle-based Ridgeline Games studio which was working on “a narrative campaign in the Battlefield universe,” and cancelled work on Respawn’s Star Wars first-person shooter. However, EA has confirmed that at least one of its Star Wars franchises will survive the cuts, that being The Star Wars: Jedi franchise, along with remaining focused on other titles such as Marvel’s Iron Man, and Black Panther.


In an update following the announcement of layoffs, EA CEO Andrew Wilson remarked, “Given how and where we are working, we are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business.” He added, “We are also sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry. This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation, and double down on our biggest opportunities - including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities - to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow.”

EA will be giving some of that added focus to other projects, such as Apex Legends, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Star Wars: Jedi franchise, which the company has already announced a third installment for, Dragon Age, Skate, and the Sims. It will also restructure its Battlefield team, following the sudden departure of Battlefield director Marcus Lehto. Lehto, who said he was leaving because of personal reasons, suggested on social media that he was not aware ahead of his leaving EA would close Ridgeline Games.

In a note to EA employees following the layoff announcement, EA Entertainment President Laura Miele remarked, “It’s not lost on me that these changes are more than words on a page; they directly impact the work you do every day and, in some cases, mean we are eliminating roles and saying goodbye to talented colleagues.” Miele added she would not “lose sight of the human impact” of decisions such as the one to layoff approximately 670 employees. She concluded, “In difficult moments, we must remember how important it is to show up for our players and for each other.”

While Star Wars and Marvel fans still have reason to be excited for future EA releases, many of its employees are joining a growing pool of unemployed in the gaming and tech industry. May the force be with them all as they embark on new journeys of their own.