Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment struck by "cold and inhumane" layoffs
The ongoing struggle against layoffs in the industry is worse than ever at this stage, with 2024 already giving 2023 a run for its money with the sheer number of team members who have lost their jobs.
Microsoft and Sony have led the charge so far laying off thousands together, and even as giant gaming companies like Riot Games haemorrhage hundreds of staff members, it’s incredibly clear that the gaming industry is really fighting for its life right now.
And now, another team has revealed that it has been impacted, with some staff members reporting some pretty horrible treatment on their way out of the door.
Respawn Entertainment struck with layoffs
Layoffs at EA were reported back in February, which came as a horrible shock for fans of its output - and now it has been confirmed by team members that developers working on Apex Legends have lost their jobs.
The Principal Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment took to Twitter to reveal that “The news was announced a few days ago, but EA let go of 5% of the work force and that also affected Respawn.” This was also confirmed by the company’s Level Designer, who stated that “The Apex team was hit with layoffs today. It sucks seeing some of the people I've worked with for almost 3 years now get let go.”
It’s a shocking revelation, especially as Apex Legends has stood as a big part of EA’s ongoing live-service push, but it’s clear now that nobody is safe.
Ex-Respawn team calls EA’s layoffs “cold and inhumane”
Click to enlargeApex Legends news Twitter account alphaINTEL reported that one team member who suffered at the hands of the layoffs had said “The way I was treated was so cold and inhumane during the process today. Just tossed out like trash." GGRecon has reached out to EA for comment.
It’s a huge shame that staff members are losing their jobs at EA, especially if staff claims are accurate in this scenario. The gaming industry is in bits right now, and not even one of the leading battle royale games is safe from losses.
