EA Plans About 400 Job Cuts, Closes BioWare and Pauses a Sims Project
Electronic Arts plans to cut about 400 jobs across the company, Eurogamer reported on 21 October 2026, citing Bloomberg. The cuts include the closure of BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, which accounts for roughly 50 of the roles.
The warning reached staff in an internal memo from chief executive David Tinson and chief strategy officer Cam Weber. The memo told employees they might lose their jobs. It was later published online, and EA's own news post lays out the company's plan for what comes next.
The changes also reach the Skate studio, Full Circle. Many of its developers were laid off, according to Video Games Chronicle. Among them were John Epler, Skate's seasonal creative director and an EA veteran of almost 20 years, along with senior game designer Adam Martinazzi and senior designer David Milne. Developers confirmed their own departures on social media. The company email mentioned Skate only briefly.
Full Circle was formed from veterans of the original Black Box team that made Skate 1 to 3. It was building a live-service Skate reboot, a game sold and updated in seasons after launch. The reboot is in early access, a stage where players can try a version before full release. EA says the early access game has "had a lot of success," yet the studio is being restructured into a smaller, more focused team. Full Circle had already announced layoffs in February, saying the move was meant to better support the game's long-term future.
Elsewhere, EA is pausing work on "Project Lotus," a Sims-related title, and putting its effort behind "Project Evergreen" for The Sims. Respawn and DICE, two of EA's studios, will be brought together to collaborate on a future project. The company also plans to reveal a return of Fight Night and a social-first open-world American football project called "Project Gridiron" in the coming months. "Social-first" means built around play with friends online.
The memo said EA will concentrate on fewer large-scale projects at the same time. It also said the Marvel's Iron Man game and a third Star Wars Jedi game were not affected by the changes.
BioWare said its focus after the closure announcement was on its team and on supporting one another through the transition.
EA has been through large cuts before. In April 2025, Bloomberg reported that between 300 and 400 positions were eliminated, including around 100 at Respawn, citing a person familiar with the cuts. That round also cancelled a Titanfall game.
For players, the immediate change is simple. Some games are being paused, some studios are shrinking, and a few new projects are being saved for later reveals. The next official announcements from EA will show which of these plans take shape.
