EA workers say layoffs and AI push have driven morale down

Electronic Arts workers have described sharply worsening morale after a restructuring that cut about 400 jobs, closed BioWare and halted the studio’s next Mass Effect game. Employees told outlets that the disruption has coincided with a forceful internal push to use generative AI, even though the tools have not been formally mandated. The cuts represented about 3% of EA’s last reported 14,500-strong workforce. Variety reported that the company, in its first major restructuring since going private, said it had reviewed its operations for months and would concentrate teams, technology and investment behind three priorities, including fewer simultaneous large-scale action-adventure projects. Accounts collected by Vertical Slice described an opaque process that left both departing and remaining staff unsure who had been cut, what work had been completed and how projects should be rebalanced. Some affected people were brought into Zoom meetings with chat disabled and other attendees hidden. EA offered some employees time to pursue internal jobs, but many of those roles required office attendance three days a week, which some workers said was impractical. One employee described morale as “terrible,” saying teams were expected to do the same amount of work with fewer people. Workers said management’s repeated instruction to “do less, better” clashed with the reduction in staffing, while the loss of people from development-pipeline roles interrupted work. Employees also said managers were heavily promoting generative AI as the industry’s future. One worker said upper management was particularly enthusiastic about Claude, “much to the chagrin” of that person’s team. Workers told Vertical Slice that EA did not explicitly call the tools compulsory, but had arranged work so that avoiding them was difficult. Some believed the company was using the technology to test how few staff it could retain while continuing to make games; that is workers’ assessment, not an announced EA policy. The AI push follows EA’s 2024 statement that it was fully committed to generative AI. The company also showed a chatbot prototype that year which could alter arenas, items and characters in real time from user prompts. BioWare said its Edmonton studio was closing after more than three decades and that early development on the next Mass Effect title was ending. EA said it did not take the decision lightly. The restructuring also affected or put at risk teams at Maxis, Full Circle, Motive, Respawn and Ripple Effect, according to Vertical Slice. Full Circle reportedly lost roughly 30% to 40% of a team that had numbered more than 100 people, although EA said the Skate franchise remained active and had long-term potential. EA completed its $55 billion all-cash private-equity transaction on Aug. 4 with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. The company said it would continue investing heavily in Apex Legends, while remaining committed to Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.