EA has canceled yet another project that was in an early incubation stage at Respawn, one month after it canceled a multiplayer project at the same stage, and according to a report from IGN, EA will also be laying off an unknown number of employees at Respawn across the Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, and incubation teams.
In a statement published to X, Respawn announces that it has “made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects,” which refers to the project canceled last month, and another cancellation we’re hearing about today for the first time. Respawn continues to add that there will be layoffs across the Apex Legends and Star Wars teams, though it doesn’t mention the cuts to the incubation team, which come from IGN’s sources.
It’s unclear how many people have been cut from Respawn, which currently employs approximately 100 developers, though the cuts are reportedly being made across departments and aren’t focused on one part of the studio.
“As we sharpen our focus for the future, we’ve made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi. 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. We’re offering meaningful support to those impacts, including exploring new opportunities within EA,” the studio’s statement reads.
The statement also addressed what these cuts mean for Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi, saying of the former that “while the team will continue to refine gameplay and bring new ideas to upcoming seasons, we’re also investing in what’s next for the franchise – exploring bold experiences that push the boundaries of competitive play while staying true to the spirit of competition.”
Regarding the latter, Respawn simply added, “We’re excited to keep building new stories—with the next chapter of the Star Wars Jedi series aiming to raise the bar again for storytelling and gameplay.”
The booming success of Apex Legends and the Star Wars Jedi series in 2019 has, in many ways, made Respawn the crown jewel studio for EA’s entertainment side of the business. But it’s worth asking how long it could keep that status if EA consistently shuts down the new ideas the developers at Respawn come up with.
