EA has announced a number of layoffs at studios located in Montreal and Los Angeles. Rumors abound that the end result of this is the complete closure of EA Montreal’s Visceral Games division. Smaller, undisclosed studios were included as well, but EA has been hesitant to reveal the entire process. Frank Gibeau, EA’s label president, made a statement detailing the reasoning behind this sudden move. He speaks of the transition the industry is currently dealing with, while mentioning the coming next-generation consoles. Gibeau referenced the layoffs as follows,
This week we let some people go in Los Angeles, Montreal as well as in some smaller locations. These are good people and we have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease their transition to a new job.
In response to questions from Gamasutra, EA made the following statement,
Today EA internally announced some adjustments to select development teams to align staff and skills against priority growth areas, including new technologies and mobile. Many employees are being retrained for new positions; however a small number will be released. These are great, talented people and we wish them well. EA is growing globally, and we expect our headcount to increase this year
EA Montreal is known for the Army of Two series of games, which saw three titles during the current generation of consoles. Our thoughts go out to those now looking for work, and we hope they land on their feet.
What do you think of this latest studio closure? Let us know in the comments below.