Despite Battlefield 6 achieving the biggest launch in franchise history, selling 7 million copies in three days, Electronic Arts has laid off an unspecified number of staff across the studios that developed it. The game is presented as a victim of the intensely competitive and volatile live-service shooter market, where publishers chase long-term revenue despite brutal competition and frequent high-profile failures.
The layoffs occur within a broader trend of instability in the shooter genre, with other recent titles shutting down shortly after launch, and during a pivotal period for EA involving a major corporate buyout.
The main topics covered are the layoffs at EA studios following a successful game launch, the volatile and competitive nature of the live-service shooter market, and the broader corporate context at EA.
Even a record-breaking launch can’t seem to save developers from layoffs. According to a report from IGN, the various teams behind Battlefield 6 have been hit with an unspecified number of layoffs; that includes staff at EA studios Criterion, Dice, Ripple Effect, and Motive, all of which contributed to the game. EA has not responded to a request for comment.
Battlefield 6 teams hit with layoffs despite ‘biggest launch in franchise history’
Another victim of the volatile live-service shooter space.
Another victim of the volatile live-service shooter space.
Battlefield 6 launched last October with huge expectations, and at least initially it seemed to meet them. EA called the game “the biggest launch in franchise history,” citing 7 million copies sold in just three days. It was also a particularly ambitious attempt to go up against the juggernaut that is Call of Duty, with EA creating a four-studio team to develop the game. However, Battlefield 6 appears to be yet another victim of the outsized expectations placed on live-service games, as publishers seek out the long-term revenue of games like Fortnite, despite the brutal competition. Last month another EA studio, Full Circle, the developer behind the live-service reboot of Skate, was also hit with layoffs.
The shooter space that Battlefield 6 entered into is particularly volatile. Later this week Highguard, a squad-shooter from the Tencent-backed studio Wildlight, will be shutting down permanently after less than two months since launch. It joins other short-lived, high-profile shooters like Sony’s Concord. It’s gotten to the point that even major productions like Bungie’s Marathon feel like they’re in a race to become instant hits.
The Battlefield 6 layoffs also come at a pivotal time for both EA and the franchise at large. The publisher is in the midst of a $55 billion buyout, while former Battlefield boss and Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella died unexpectedly in a car crash last year.
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