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# "I don't want to work at this place anymore:" EA workers decry  mismanagement and corporate greed after mass layoffs
- URL: https://www.verticalslice.news/ea-workers-decry-mismanagement-and-corporate-greed-after-mass-layoffs/
- Published: 2026-10-27T11:03:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T11:16:25.000Z
- Description: Current and former EA employees paint a bleak picture of daily life at one of the video game industry's most prominent publishers.
- Author: Chris Kerr
- Tags: Originals, EA, Labour

Last week, U.S. publisher Electronic Arts rounded on its workforce less than three months after being taken private by an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia in a deal worth $55 billion ([a deal that comes with its own unique kind of baggage](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ea-workers-trapped-in-a-maelstrom-of-uncertainty-after-saudi-deal?ref=verticalslice.news)). 

Edmonton-based BioWare, the genre-defining studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, was shuttered as part of a [wider layoff round](https://www.verticalslice.news/ea-shutters-bioware-and-carves-through-other-teams-months-after-after-saudi-led-buyout/) that resulted in 400 people losing their jobs. The iconic RPG maker might have taken the headlines, but other internal studios such as Maxis, Full Circle, Motive, Respawn, and Ripple Effect were also [placed in the crosshairs](https://www.verticalslice.news/maxis-full-circle-and-ripple-effect-targeted-by-ea-during-sweeping-layoffs/), and EA was ready to pull the trigger.

Now, less than a week since the cuts were communicated internally, a group of current and former EA workers have spoken out against a company they feel is being callously reconfigured to fulfil the singular purpose of funnelling cash towards its new private owners. 

Taking us back to last Wednesday, multiple sources detail how EA's opaque approach to layoffs is "wildly disruptive," leaving both those impacted and those who remain scrambling to make sense of the situation for days and weeks. Although the layoffs were announced internally via email, we're told that EA does not disclose who exactly has been cut to individuals on a studio level and even some managers.

One employee whose role was eliminated said there is an air of "secrecy" around the process and explained some of her direct colleagues only reached out with farewells after seeing their layoff post on LinkedIn. It's an approach that has become the norm at EA, which purportedly tells workers it must protect the privacy of anybody impacted. Those we spoke with doubt that is the case. "My suspicion is that it is done to isolate the people laid off," says one source, who notes it's a policy that's incredibly disorienting, both emotionally and practically.

"Depending on how large a layoff it is, it can take us a week or two or more to get our bearings back under us and figure out what we're doing," they added. They explain that when people are jettisoned without clear communication, in-progress work is left in limbo. Who has been cut from a particular workflow? What had they completed? How do their peers now rebalance and adapt? Those are just a handful of questions that need untangling before work can continue. Then, there is the human element.

"Emotionally, it's weird," says one source, who explains they often have to use whisper networks to make contact with colleagues at other EA studios to ascertain whether a co-worker has been let go. Instead of ripping the band-aid off in one clean motion, EA forces staff to endure weeks of turmoil. "Part of the devastating emotional impact is basically finding out your friend and co-worker has been let go again and again and again over the course of weeks," they add.

Meanwhile, those being laid off suggest EA's approach is needlessly clinical. Multiple sources who were impacted explain they were invited to a Zoom meeting where the chat functionality was disabled and other participants were hidden. They were not given an opportunity to ask questions or speak to their co-workers for potentially the final time. "It's very impersonal," said one person. "You're getting laid off because you're just numbers on a list. There's never an understanding of the actual project \[you're working on\]."

Notably, we're informed that EA has offered some of those impacted a grace period to find other roles within the company. The issue is that many of those open positions require applicants to work in-office three days a week. That simply is not viable for many of those being laid off, especially if they worked remotely or don't fancy uprooting their life to stay loyal to a company that has just been saddled with $20 billion worth of debt and has shown willing to [target studios it outwardly claims are delivering record numbers](https://www.gamesindustry.biz/electronic-arts-is-laying-off-workers-at-the-battlefield-6-studios?ref=verticalslice.news).

"It's a joke," says one source. "I didn't even bother looking \[at the internal roles\] because I don't want to work at this place anymore."

## "The line we kept hearing is 'do less, better' but it just felt like we were doing the same amount with less people"

To suggest there is a schism between EA executives and studio workers would be downright generous. Every single source who spoke out claimed morale at EA has nosedived in spectacular fashion, with the C-suite being described as deliriously out-of-touch with not just their employees but the fundamentals of video game production. 

"Morale has been terrible. The line we kept hearing is 'do less, better' but it just felt like we were doing the same amount with less people. Upper management was very excited about Claude and the possibilities of \[generative\] AI, much to the chagrin of my team," said one source. 

Other sources confirmed that generative AI technology is being pushed heavily—but not mandated, yet—within EA. "The message from every single manager I've heard is 'this is the future, you have to get onboard," said one person. For many who recall EA boss Andrew Wilson publicly lauding the divisive technology onstage [during a 2024 investor presentation](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ea-desperately-wants-investors-to-know-it-s-on-the-generative-ai-bandwagon?ref=verticalslice.news), it's a tidbit that will not come as a shock.

The view on the shop floor is that EA is hawking generative AI to see how few people they can keep employed and still make a video game. "They won't tell you these tools are a mandate," says one person, "but they'll make it impossible or very difficult for you to do your job without \[them\]."

Our sources all expressed a striking sense of detachment and resentment towards their employer. Some claimed that EA used to be better depending on which studio and manager you worked under. Many questioned where the consequences are for the executives who have pushed respected studios and talented workers to the brink. 

On that point specifically, two sources recall how EA opened an office in Kirkland, Seattle, to replace a site in the downtown Seattle area. We're told the company chose to open that office to better accommodate Ridgeline Games and Cliffhanger Games, the first of which was shuttered before the new location had opened. The latter was torched a few months after the ribbon was cut. Those who eventually made the move were not enthused. 

"Now, we're in a location that is more expensive per foot, has less office space and is more difficult for people to get to \[...\] because we don't have easy access to all the transit options," said one source. "So, they're telling us it's expensive \[to make games\] while making all of these decisions that are making it even more expensive."

Another source said there is a feeling that "EA executives cannot fail, only be failed." They claim the C-suite does not understand what players want next, only what they wanted previously. "They've been fortunate that \[*EA Sports FC*\] sells and makes so much money that it can finance their bad bets," they add. 

Multiple sources also accuse the company of weaponising doublespeak. The truth is seemingly rewritable within EA, creating a deep rooted sense of distrust. For instance, in the email announcing the cuts, management said the Skate franchise has "long-term potential" and remains a property. Yet, multiple people claim developer Full Circle has been hit hard by the layoffs, losing around 30 to 40 percent of its over 100-person team.

On the subject of BioWare, EA said it didn't take the decision to shutter the studio "lightly" in last week's email. Yet, those we spoke with felt the RPG specialist slowly suffocated in the unrelenting grip of corporate mismanagement, with the studio being repeatedly told to redirect its focus away from choice, consequence, and companions to better incorporate live service and multiplayer elements. "A lot of money got wasted going down these roads that didn't lead anywhere," said one person.

Those we spoke with weren't necessarily surprised that BioWare was eventually marched to the guillotine. One source said the team had been struggling for years and claims leadership at the studio level "slowly degraded" over time as they became shackled by fear. "There was never a desire to take risks. Never a desire to do anything interesting. It was just 'here is what these 14 UXR \[User Experience Research\] studies are saying, so we've got to do it this way." They note, however, that talented people still remained at the studio. 

It seems 'risk' is a word that has been expunged from the dictionary at EA. The company has become increasingly reliant on its annual release slate of sports titles such as EA Sports FC and EA Sports College Football, and a multiplayer shooter in Battlefield that ticks all the live service boxes. Even its single-player successes, such as *Star Wars Jedi: Survivor* and *Jedi: Fallen Order*, have the weight of a juggernaut franchise behind them. Where, then, does that leave its litany of studios and franchises that perhaps cannot easily be morphed into a piñata that bleeds revenue or count on the inherent bounce provided by Hollywood IP?

One person wonders whether divestments could be in the offing. Most feel the threat of more layoffs remains very real. Everyone seems to agree on one thing: all that really matters at this point is lining pockets for the suits.

"That the recent email about the organisation changes \[sounded like\] it was written by a robot best sums up EA," said one source. "A cold dead place that's slowly decaying as leadership pilfers every last cent, leaving the rest of us to worry about how we feed our families."

Vertical Slice has reached out to EA for comment.

If you have been impacted by a similar issue and want to speak out, you can [email Vertical Slice](mailto: tips@verticalslice.news) to share your story confidentially.