Respawn has canceled two “early-stage” incubation projects and cut developers from its Apex Legends and Star Wars: Jedi teams, resulting in approximately 100 layoffs.
The EA-owned studio said “the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi” was “difficult”.
EA would not confirm to the press precisely how many roles have been made redundant, but IGN suggests 100 or so individuals have been affected by the cuts employed in the development, QA, and publishing teams.
“These decisions aren’t easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected – their creativity and contributions have helped build Respawn into what it is today,” the statement added, confirming the company was “offering meaningful support to those impacted, including exploring new opportunities within EA.”
The post closed on thanking everyone “who has been part of [its] journey – past, present, and future,” adding: “we carry your legacy with us into everything we create next.”
Back in October, when EA told investors Apex Legends “fell short of expectations” during Electronic Arts’ otherwise record Q2 FY25, CEO Andrew Wilson pushed back against the idea of an “Apex 2.0” to fix its issues. It followed prior cuts in February 2024 that saw the company lay off approximately 5% of its employees, and 6% of its workforce one year prior.
In the first four months of 2025 alone, 1800 developers have lost their jobs, with cuts and closures at Freejam, Splash Damage, Piranha Games, Jar of Sparks, Ubisoft, ProbablyMonsters, Iron Galaxy, Sumo Group, Liquid Sword, NetEase Games, Toast Interactive, Night School Studio, Striking Distance, Until Dawn remake developers, Ballistic Moon, and – most recently – Eidos Montréal, PlaySide, AppLovin, Nerial, and Reality Labs.