EA licenses 350 employees in the areas of marketing, publishing and operations

By Adam Bankhurst

EA has announced the layoff of 350 employees as changes to its marketing, publication and operations teams, and is preparing to reduce its presence in Japan and Russia.

Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), issued a public statement explaining these "important but very difficult decisions" and saying that EA "is doing everything in its power to ensure that we take care of our employees throughout this period ". find their next opportunity. This is our top priority. "

The complete declaration can be read below:

Today, we have taken important steps as a company to meet our challenges and prepare for the opportunities that lie ahead for us. When we observe a changing world around us, it is clear that we must change with it. We take deliberate measures to better meet our commitments, refine our organization and meet the needs of our players. In this context, we have changed our marketing and publishing organization, our operational teams, and we are reducing our presence in Japan and Russia, because we are focusing on different ways of serving our players in these markets. In addition to organizational changes, we strive to improve the quality of our games and services. Great games will continue to be at the heart of everything we do, and we think differently about how to surprise and inspire our players.

It's a tough day. The changes we are making today will affect approximately 350 roles in our 9,000-person business. These are important but very difficult decisions, and we do not take them lightly. At EA, we are friends and colleagues. We appreciate and appreciate everyone's contributions. We do everything in our power to ensure that we take care of our employees and help them find their next opportunity throughout this period. It is our top priority.

This day is another sad day in the games industry. This year, about 800 employees were fired from Activision Blizzard, which accounted for about 8% of its workforce, as well as layoffs affecting employees of the studio behind Guild Wars, ArenaNet. .

In EA's case, these 350 people accounted for nearly 4% of the company's 9,000 employees responsible for titles such as Madden, FIFA, Apex Legends, Hymn, Battlefield V, Star Wars Battlefront and many others.

Kotaku reported that a person working in the relevant department had claimed that EA had blocked the marketing department from traveling and hiring expenses for months, and that some of them were going away. were waiting for these dismissals. "I think some people will be relieved to be out of limbo," said a source in Kotaku.

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Adam Bankhurst is an IGN journalist who wishes the best of luck to all those affected by these layoffs. You can follow him on Twitter @ AdamBankhurst.