NEWS - Thursday, October 25, 2007
EA Confirms Layoffs
A report on the games blog Destructoid said Wednesday that an internal EA e-mail from an anonymous source indicated that layoffs were imminent. “John Riccitiello, our CEO, has tasked the company to get its costs in line with revenues ... Every studio, group and division of the company has been tasked to review its overall headcount and adjust its organization to meet the needs of the business moving forward,” reads the e-mail, reportedly sent by EA Mythic VP Rob Denton. Next-Gen confirmed with an EA rep that restructuring will be affecting a “very small percentage” of EA employees. The spokesperson described the restructuring as “small, and somewhat routine for this time of year,” as EA has just shipped off a number of new titles. “[It’s] routine roll-off,” she said. Denton’s e-mail added that restructuring measures would be decided by “attrition, performance management, stricter hiring guidelines and layoffs.” A number of EA Mythic employees were reportedly already let go. Meanwhile, the rep also said that EA would be founding a new North Carolina location "in the heart of NASCAR country," where the NASCAR videogame series will be developed. Described as a "satellite team," the new office will supplement the current EA Sports studios in Vancouver and Orlando. She stressed that the founding of the new studio and the restructuring efforts are unrelated.Source: http://www.next-gen.biz
