Electronic Arts has recently announced a reduction in workforce by 5%, along with the closure of a studio and cancellation of games

The game industry is experiencing more layoffs as Electronic Arts, a third-party publisher and developer, announced today that it will be laying off 5% of its staff, approximately 670 employees.

Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts, mentioned this in a message to the team in response to the rapidly changing industry. Due to this decision, the company is discontinuing games and shifting focus away from creating new licensed IP that they think might not do well.

In the future, the company will shift its attention to its original intellectual property, sports, and large online communities. It is enhancing company operations to provide more immersive experiences for fans, fostering community, influencing culture, and expanding fandom.

Here is an excerpt of Wilson’s comments on the layoffs:

“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.”

By the beginning of the following quarter, these modifications ought to be mostly complete. Reportedly, the Star Wars first-person game by Respawn Entertainment (Apex Legends) that was in early development has been cancelled. Ridgeline Games, the Battlefield single-player studio, has shut down, and EA is ending several mobile projects, including a Lord of the Rings game that is less than a year old.

This comes after several other industry layoffs earlier this year. PlayStation recently laid off 900 employees, cutting 8% of its workforce, following similar moves by Microsoft and Riot Games.