When EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, many expected major changes at the gaming company, including layoffs and game cancellations, among other shakeups. Now, those have begun, with EA on October 21 confirming a series of significant changes impacting the people and teams that worked on many storied franchises.
EA also teased some of what's to come in the future, including a joint project between Respawn and DICE. Here's a rundown of all the big EA news today.
Layoffs
EA said in a statement that it made the "difficult" choice to lay off staff, and Bloomberg reported that the cuts will impact about 400 people. Affected staffers will be treated with "care and respect," EA said, and some impacted employees may have a chance to get a different job within EA.
BioWare closes and new Mass Effect axed
BioWare, the esteemed Canadian developer founded 30+ years ago, is shutting down. The studio employed fewer than 100 people, Bloomberg reported, and the team was working on the next Mass Effect. That game is now canceled.
"BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," EA said.
Developers at BioWare had feared their jobs were at risk after PIF announced that it would buy EA. BioWare is known, in part, for making pro-diversity games featuring inclusive storytelling and characters.
Longtime BioWare writer Patrick Weekes, who was laid off in 2025, speculated that EA’s new owners, including the PIF, might want to avoid “gay stuff” and politics that the PIF’s leadership does not agree with.
There has been an outpouring of support and thoughtful messages about BioWare in the wake of the news, from fans and industry professionals alike.
CD Projekt's Michal Nowakowski said his company first got to know BioWare when the studio did the work to localize Baldur's Gate games in Europe. Later, BioWare lent its game engine to CD Projekt for the first Witcher game.
"Very sad for the people affected, but also sad to see a legendary brand go down. Not a great day in the games industry," he said.
New The Sims game paused
Another game that's not going ahead at EA is Project Lotus, the codename for new game in The Sims franchise. Another The Sims game, codename Project Evergreen, is now the main focus for the developers working on The Sims. Exactly what this game is, however, remains a mystery, but The Sims is a juggernaut at EA and fans have been waiting for a new game for a long time.
Skate gets scaled back
EA's new Skate game, which was released in 2025, will remain online, but EA said it's "making changes to the studio," and that includes cutting staff to create a "more focused, smaller team." EA said this will help Skate have a "very clear roadmap" and one that can lead to a "healthier and more sustainable business."
EA Sports open-world football game
The EA Sports division, which is among the strongest at the company due in part to the lucrative loot boxes and microtransactions in Ultimate Team modes, continue to operate "from a position of strength," EA said. In addition to the usual annual sports games, EA said it has two new projects in the works, including a "brand-new, social-first open-world" football game in the works under the codename Project Gridiron. The other project is the next Fight Night, which is coming back after a 15-year hiatus.
Shooters
EA said Battlefield 6 was a "great success," and that the studio "learned a lot from the launch and live service." There will be future Battlefield games, as well as a new project to be collaboratively developed by Respawn and DICE. EA didn't say what this will be, but many believe it could be a new Star Wars: Battlefront, following recent rumors that DICE could make that game. Variety reported that yes, indeed, a new Battlefront game is coming. This would not be surprising at all, given DICE's two previous Battlefront games sold a combined 33 million+ copies.
As for Apex Legends, EA said it will continue to "invest heavily" in the franchise by adding new gameplay modes and "other new experiences."
Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi
While EA may have canceled its Black Panther game already, the company's other big Marvel game, Iron Man, remains in development. Additionally, the next Star Wars Jedi game is still on the way, EA confirmed.
"Beyond that, we will concentrate our efforts on fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects, ensuring that every game we build in this space is fully set up for success," EA said.
The biggest leveraged buyout of all time
The PIF, along with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, took EA private in a $55 billion sale that was constructed as a leveraged buyout, or LBO. This was the largest LBO ever, not just in gaming, but in the history of all business. Since the acquisition was "leveraged," that means it comes with debt, and a lot of it, so many expected EA to make major cuts to help service that debt.
Prior to the deal closing, Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis said EA may look to “cut excess spending and rationalize the company’s workforce” to help bring in more money to address the debt. A report from Financial Times said EA might look to further bolster AI tools and technologies to help cut development costs and drive profitability.
Mat Piscatella of Circana told GI.biz that the companies being acquired in LBOs rarely fare well. “Leveraged buyouts have a certain history that generally hasn’t been great for the acquired companies,” he said.