EA CEO Announces Approximate 5% Workforce Reduction

[T0@st]

Team, we are entertaining, inspiring, and connecting more people with more content and deeper experiences than ever before. Over the last year, we have organized our company to further empower our creative leaders to deliver our strategic priorities of entertaining massive online communities, telling blockbuster stories, and harnessing the power of community in and around our games. These actions have positioned us to build bigger, bolder experiences for hundreds of millions of players and fans around the world. We are also leading through an accelerating industry transformation where player needs and motivations have changed significantly. Fans are increasingly engaging with the largest IP, and looking to us for broader experiences where they can play, watch, create content, and forge deeper connections. Our industry exists at the cutting edge of entertainment, and in today's dynamic environment, we are advancing the way we work and continuing to evolve our business.

As a company full of creators and storytellers, we believe in the value of teams innovating together, and continue to learn and adopt new ways of collaborating to grow and serve our global communities. Given how and where we are working, we are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business. 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. Lastly, we are streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom.




In this time of change, we expect these decisions to impact approximately 5 percent of our workforce. I understand this will create uncertainty and be challenging for many who have worked with such dedication and passion and have made important contributions to our company. While not every team will be impacted, this is the hardest part of these changes, and we have deeply considered every option to try and limit impacts to our teams. Our primary goal is to provide team members with opportunities to find new roles and paths to transition onto other projects. Where that's not possible, we will support and work with each colleague with the utmost attention, care, and respect. Communicating these impacts has already begun and will be largely completed by early next quarter.

I want to extend my appreciation to everyone who has helped contribute to EA's ongoing story. We are a team that leans into our values to lead the future of entertainment, and I look forward to what we will create together. Thank you for all that you do.

This announcement was shared with Electronic Arts employees by CEO Andrew Wilson.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

There was one reference that this amounts to 650 people.

 

[mb194dc]

More layoffs, sooo bullish.

 

[Philaphlous]

Sad to hear. Likely just grew too big too quick.
I shutter when I hear a CEO talk about growing people more than I hear about growing product....Product should be first, then if you need more people...then get more people.

 

[the54thvoid]

Sad to hear. Likely just grew too big too quick.
I shutter when I hear a CEO talk about growing people more than I hear about growing product....Product should be first, then if you need more people...then get more people.

It's Electronic Arts. They've been around since 1982. And they've been big for decades. And like all corporate publishing giants - they only care about the bottom buck; people are always second.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

EA laid off 6% last May too, about 800 peeps.

More layoffs, sooo bullish.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Hopefully we enter a minor renaissance of gaming with a focus on strong narrative driven single player titles.

After the complete implosion of games like Skull & Bones and Suicide Squad, we might actually see an industry that, at least for one executive turnover cycle, realizes that the GAAS playerbase is saturated and the early movers have the advantage here (just like we eventually left the "everyone needs to launch an MMO STAT" phase).

While I would be remiss to say that I am ok with people losing their jobs, at the end of the day these are relatively minor numbers that the economy can absolutely absorb right now.

 

[lexluthermiester]

And like all corporate publishing giants - they only care about the bottom buck; people are always second.

And that is never not a huge problem. Back when Trip Hawkins was running the show, EA was a damn decent company. Larry Probts did some very good things too. No longer.. Once John Ricitiello took over, he promptly changed things for the worse, a mentality of greed and making money at any cost while under-valuing the workforce became the norm and EA has become a garbage company run by garbage execs.

Hopefully we enter a minor renaissance of gaming with a focus on strong narrative driven single player titles.

Such laudable ideals are very likely beyond the capabilities of EA at this point..

 

[Minus Infinity]

Layoff the entire board and CEO for a start then.

I'll throw up if I hear another weasel CEO tell about the magnificent work done by the superb people he regrettably has to fire due to financial constraints, while increasing his take home pay and share options by an astronomical amount.

 

[rv8000]

Hopefully we enter a minor renaissance of gaming with a focus on strong narrative driven single player titles.

After the complete implosion of games like Skull & Bones and Suicide Squad, we might actually see an industry that, at least for one executive turnover cycle, realizes that the GAAS playerbase is saturated and the early movers have the advantage here (just like we eventually left the "everyone needs to launch an MMO STAT" phase).

While I would be remiss to say that I am ok with people losing their jobs, at the end of the day these are relatively minor numbers that the economy can absolutely absorb right now.

“Gamers” in general don’t have the attention span for that, the MOBA and loot box generation of players and design has left, imo, an irreversible impact on gaming.

It’d be nice to see more well written story driven games for sure, but too many corners end up being cut to emphasize profits and making a quick buck by execs over anything else. I feel for game devs who actually care or have passion for what they’re creating.

 

[Icon Charlie]

And that is never not a huge problem. Back when Trip Hawkins was running the show, EA was a damn decent company. Larry Probts did some very good things too. No longer.. Once John Ricitiello took over, he promptly changed things for the worse, a mentality of greed and making money at any cost while under-valuing the workforce became the norm and EA has become a garbage company run by garbage execs.


Such laudable ideals are very likely beyond the capabilities of EA at this point..

You are absolutely right about Trip Hawkings and Larry Probts. Again my hunting ground so yes I used to visit the site often. But IMHO Mr. Ricitiello was a bad... bad... man.

As proven by the Unity Fiasco he tried to pull.

But there is one more thing that should be known.

1 in 5 people in high positioning jobs are psychopaths.
And in Silicon Valley, IMHO that number is higher.

1 in 5 business leaders may have psychopathic tendencies—here's why, according to a psychology professor

Narcissism involves an unrealistic sense of grandiosity and superiority, manifested in the form of vanity, self-admiration and delusions of talent. This is commonly found in bosses, according to psychology professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. But it doesn't always have to be a bad thing.

www.cnbc.com

You can find other articles on this subject. Let's just say there is a right way and a wrong way in running a business, and I can sleep well at night knowing that I've done a lot more good than harm in running the business that I used to own.

But I do not like the current trend in corporate society of just accepting this sick mindset as being okay. It is not.

 

[crazyotterhound]

This type of BS reminds me of the scene from the office where David Brent breaks the news to his staff that some of them are being made redundant while the "good news" is he is getting promoted:

That opening paragraphs from that email were absolutely nauseating, these CEOs are completely out of touch with reality.

 

[THU31]

Just cancel all the singleplayer games and focus on EA FC. Why even bother? Live service or bust.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Just cancel all the singleplayer games and focus on EA FC. Why even bother? Live service or bust.

Please tell us you're kidding?

 

[THU31]

Please tell us you're kidding?

I forgot to add /s at the end.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I forgot to add /s at the end.

Fair enough. It seemed like a joke, but we never know these days. Smart people have been saying some of the craziest crap lately!

 

[Calenhad]

I don't like when they don't even bother to figure out how many people they are actually sacking. It is just aaaaabout 5% this time.

It's Electronic Arts. They've been around since 1982. And they've been big for decades. And like all corporate publishing giants - they only care about the bottom buck; people are always second.

Second? You are to kind. Even the coffee machine is ranked higher than people at EA.