Summary
EA has announced layoffs at Codemasters, the UK developer behind the popularF1andGridfranchises. While not the first round of layoffs at EA, the announcement is the latest addition to a long list of staff redundancies within the gaming industry in 2023. Now, with the layoffs atCodemasters, EA may be looking to cut back on its investments in the racing genre.
Back in 2021, EA acquired Codemasters, outbidding Take-Two Interactive for $1.2 billion. The acquisition was followed by anticipation of renewed efforts into theDirt,Grid, andF1franchises. By May 2022,EA merged Criterion with Codemasters Chesire studioforNeed for Speed Unbound. However, the newNeed for Speedentry didn’t prove fruitful for EA, garnering mixed reception across the board. But even as the studio went on to releaseF1 23andEA Sports WRC, along with expanded content forGrid Legends,the future of Codemasters continued to be challenging under EA.
Issuing astatement to IGN, EA confirmed the redundancies at Codemasters, although the company hasn’t shared how many of the staff have been let go. As per an EA spokesperson, the announcement is part of the company’s effort to make “small-scale organizational changes” that align its “teams and resources to meet evolving business needs and priorities.” The statement further read that EA will “continue to work closely with those affected by these changes, providing appropriate support throughout this process.” However, the publisher hasn’t divulged any details on what the coming months will look like for Codemasters IPs following the layoffs.
This isn’t the first time the publisher announced staff cuts in 2023. Back in February, EA reportedly laid off over 200 QA testers working onApex Legends, followed byEA officially laying off 800 employees back in March, about 6% of its staff. While it remains to be seen how far these cutbacks will impact the publisher’s future slate of games, it wouldn’t be far off to speculate that more layoffs could be on the cards for a company of EA’s size.
However, EA is merely one of several companies that have laid off staff in the gaming industry in recent times. Throughout 2023, companies ranging from Epic Games, CD Projekt Red, and Microsoft toEmbracer have laid off staff in the hundreds. So far, over 7,000 employees have reportedly been let go during the year, a troubling number even as 2023 turned out to be a massive year for successful releases. Either way, time will tell what the future holds for Codemasters and the racing genre at EA.
