Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts business and news from across the web.
EA reportedly lays off customer service, recruitment & safety staff ahead of $55 billion Saudi saleElectronic Arts has reportedly conducted layoffs affecting customer service, recruitment, trust and safety, and IT teams in remote roles and its Hyderabad, India office. These cuts are occurring as EA nears its planned $55 billion sale to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. The company cited a need to adapt to changing fan needs as the reason for the proposed role changes.- Comings and GoingsElectronic Arts has laid off an unspecified number of employees in its fan care and recruitment departments. The exact number of affected individuals has not been disclosed by the company.
The grim industry summer continues as EA lays off staff ahead of $55 billion sale to Saudi Arabia, likely to soothe the…Electronic Arts is reportedly laying off an unknown number of staff ahead of its $55 billion sale to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which will hold a 93.4% stake. These layoffs, affecting teams like recruitment and customer support, are occurring before the acquisition closes, likely due to EA's significant loan debt. This follows a trend of industry layoffs, including Microsoft's recent actions after acquiring Activision Blizzard, and raises concerns about sportswashing.
EA: AI is delivering "faster prototyping" and a "real rise in creativity" in its studiosElectronic Arts president of enterprise development, Laura Miele, stated that AI has significantly boosted creativity and removed tedium from game development pipelines. She highlighted faster prototyping and more efficient workflows as key benefits, aligning with previous statements from CEO Andrew Wilson about AI's potential to improve development efficiency and give developers more time. Despite these internal views, industry surveys indicate a significant portion of game developers remain wary of AI's role in content creation.
Gothic blev det Ultima 9 vi aldrig fickThis article analyzes how Piranha Bytes' Gothic, released in 2001, succeeded as a role-playing game where Ultima 9: Ascension failed. While Ultima 9 promised an open-world 3D experience but delivered a buggy and unoptimized product, Gothic, despite its "European jank" and technical limitations, offered a living world and a sense of genuine player immersion. The piece suggests Gothic filled the void left by Ultima 9's shortcomings and influenced subsequent European RPGs.
Senior EA exec Laura Miele thinks AI has led to "a real rise of creativity" among the publisher's studiosElectronic Arts' president of enterprise development, Laura Miele, believes generative AI has fostered a significant increase in creativity within the company's studios by removing tedious tasks and streamlining workflows. Despite some employee concerns and ethical debates surrounding AI, major publishers like Sony Interactive Entertainment, Capcom, and Epic Games are also embracing AI tools to improve development efficiency.
EA Layoffs Hit Customer Support, Recruitment, and More in US and India – RumorElectronic Arts has reportedly conducted layoffs affecting customer support, recruitment, IT, and trust and safety teams across its US and India offices. These reductions are said to be part of an effort to adapt to changing fan needs and potentially in preparation for investments from entities like Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners. Some reports suggest even employees from the high-earning Battlefield 6 team may have been impacted.- Rumor MillElectronic Arts is reportedly conducting another round of layoffs, with the company citing a need to "better meet fans’ changing needs." The article questions whether this corporate jargon masks a disregard for developers.
EA is reportedly laying off recruitment, customer support, safety, and IT staffElectronic Arts is reportedly conducting another round of layoffs, primarily affecting recruitment, customer support, trust and safety, and IT teams. This follows a previous clarification in October that there would be no immediate workforce changes after EA entered into an acquisition agreement with a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The company has also recently made redundancies at studios working on Battlefield and the Skate game.
EA Reportedly Lays Off More Staff in US and IndiaElectronic Arts has reportedly conducted another round of layoffs affecting recruitment, customer support, trust and safety, and IT teams in the US and India. This follows previous workforce reductions, including those impacting the Battlefield and Skate development teams. The news comes as EA is reportedly in talks to sell itself to a consortium for $55 billion.
EA are making another round of layoffs as they seek "to better meet fans’ changing needs", according to reportsElectronic Arts is reportedly conducting another round of layoffs across various departments, including recruitment, IT, and customer support, to "better meet fans’ changing needs." The exact number of affected employees is currently unknown, but the cuts include remote roles in the USA and staff in Hyderabad, India. This follows previous layoffs affecting the Skate developers Full Circle and the Battlefield 6 team earlier this year.
Report: EA conducts layoffs in Hyderabad, India and the USElectronic Arts has conducted another round of layoffs affecting remote workers in the US and employees at its Hyderabad, India office. The affected roles are primarily in trust and safety, IT, customer support, and recruitment departments. This marks the third round of layoffs at EA this year, following reductions at its Battlefield division and the Skate developer Full Circle.
Eidos Montreal founder says modern execs are driven more by spreadsheets than passion for gamesStephane D'Astous, founder of Eidos Montreal, believes modern game executives are driven more by financial spreadsheets than a genuine passion for games. He notes the shift from smaller, more personal decision-making to large, financially motivated corporate strategies, citing the increased influence of entities like Tencent and sovereign wealth funds. D'Astous feels this change has led to unrealistic expectations and a less creative development environment.
Ultima's creator Richard Garriott is planning to win back the rights to his legendary RPG from EA with an 50-year-old copyright quirkUltima creator Richard Garriott plans to reclaim the rights to the legendary RPG series from Electronic Arts using a provision in the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows authors to reclaim copyright after 35 years. Garriott, also known as Lord British, stated that he intends to regain all copyrights to his original work, though he acknowledges that this would grant him ownership of the copyright rather than the trademark, meaning he could create a game similar to Ultima but not use the 'Ultima' name.
UK Charts: The Adventures Of Elliot Makes An Impressive Debut, But Can't Trouble The PodiumThe Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales debuted at sixth place in the UK physical game charts, with the majority of sales on Nintendo Switch. EA Sports UFC 6 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream also saw strong debuts, while EA SPORTS FC 26 and 007 First Light held the top three positions.
UK software sales chart for the week ending June 20, 2026 – The Adventures of Elliot debuts, Tomodachi Life back in the top 5The latest UK software sales chart for the week ending June 20, 2026, shows The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales debuting at #6. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream climbed to #3, while EA Sports FC 26 remained at #2. The chart includes sales data for numerous titles across various publishers.- MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge’s revival, Guild Wars’ CCGThis week's MMO news roundup covers a variety of topics including Guild Wars receiving a CCG in China, ArcheAge's revival, and Richard Garriott's efforts to regain Ultima copyright. It also features updates on Tomo Endless Blue's Kickstarter success, Embers of the Uncrowned, and Diablo Immortal's new Warlock patch.
As EA appear to renew the trademark for Ultima, its creator lies in wait to reclaim the game's copyright next yearElectronic Arts has renewed trademarks for the Ultima series, prompting discussions about its future. Series creator Richard Garriott revealed he has been attempting to work with EA on an Ultima revival for years and plans to reclaim the copyright in 2027, when the 35-year term expires. While EA would retain the trademark, Garriott aims to regain copyright for his original work under a new title like 'Lord British's Ultima'.- It seems a copyright law quirk will finally let Lord British reclaim Ultima from EA’s clutchesA quirk in copyright law may allow Richard Garriott, also known as Lord British, to reclaim the Ultima franchise from Electronic Arts. The article suggests that legal technicalities could lead to the return of the classic RPG series' rights.
- Ultima creator Richard Garriott now claims he could regain the series’ copyright by next yearUltima creator Richard Garriott claims he may regain the copyright for the series from Electronic Arts by 2027, citing a 35-year rule in copyright law. While EA currently operates Ultima Online, Garriott expressed past frustrations with the company's handling of potential revivals. This news comes amidst EA filing new trademarks for the Ultima series.