Apex Legends developer Respawn and Marvel's Iron Man studio Motive have reportedly been hit by EA's layoffs, even as the publisher continues to back their games. The cuts extend to teams beyond the BioWare closure and smaller Skate operation announced on October 21.

Vertical Slice's report, updated on October 22, identifies affected employees at Respawn and Motive alongside The Sims developer Maxis, Skate studio Full Circle and Battlefield developer Ripple Effect. It cites an anonymous source and public LinkedIn posts from staff whose roles were eliminated.

Those named include Motive senior gameplay designer Jamieson Shearer, Maxis senior creative director Anna Huerta and Full Circle senior designer David Milne. Ripple Effect artists have also confirmed their departures, according to the report. The full number of jobs lost at each studio remains unclear.

One affected employee, Randall Wong, confirmed his layoff in a public post. Wong described research support work spanning Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, Battlefield 2042 and Battlefield 6. His account illustrates how some affected roles supported several games, without establishing which individual projects will lose resources.

EA still backs Apex, Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi

EA's October 21 staff announcement says it will keep investing heavily in Apex over the next few years, including new multiplayer gameplay modes and other experiences. It also confirms a future collaboration between Respawn and DICE, but does not name that project.

The same memo says Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game are continuing. It provides no revised release dates for either game and does not explain how the reported staff cuts affect their development teams.

That separates these layoffs from BioWare's closure and the cancellation of its next Mass Effect. EA has also already confirmed a pause for The Sims' Project Lotus and a smaller Skate team, with Project Evergreen taking priority at The Sims.

EA's public memo does not provide a company-wide layoff total or a studio-by-studio breakdown.

*Header photograph: EA's Redwood City headquarters in 2007, by Coolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and cropped for display.*