Respawn Entertainment, the developer behind Apex Legends, has canceled an unannounced incubation project this week, resulting in the layoff of an unspecified number of employees involved in the project. The news was initially reported by Insider Gaming, citing a now-deleted LinkedIn post from a former production coordinator who shared that the project they had been working on for the past year was canceled, leaving them and many talented individuals in the gaming industry to search for new opportunities.
IGN independently verified the cancellation of this unannounced multiplayer FPS project. This project was initiated by a team that had previously been working on a now-canceled Star Wars FPS at Respawn. Although the exact number of layoffs remains undisclosed, sources familiar with the project described it as "small." Additionally, at least one individual connected to the project confirmed on LinkedIn that their departure was voluntary.
This development is part of a larger trend of project cancellations, layoffs, and restructuring at Electronic Arts (EA). The trend began in 2023 with the elimination of 50 jobs at BioWare and an unknown number at Codemasters. Almost a year ago, EA laid off 670 employees across the company and terminated several projects, including the Star Wars FPS mentioned earlier, which affected around two dozen Respawn employees. Since then, BioWare has undergone restructuring, with developers being reassigned to other internal projects and additional key individuals being laid off.
IGN has reached out to Electronic Arts for a statement on these developments.
