Electronic Arts has announced that they would be shutting down their 150-employee office in downtown Chicago as part of a company-wide cost-cutting initiative.
EA stated last week that they would trim their global work force about 4 percent, laying off roughly 350 employees. EA plans to consolidate two development studios in England.
Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games, wrote in a memo to employees that executives wanted to announce the Chicago closure last week but postponed it when an employee there died. The actual memo is as follows:
“Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability. Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn’t been able to meet that standard….Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I’ve made in my career – one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there."
Popular games developed at EA Chicago include the Fight Night series, Def Jam series, and an upcoming Marvel game. The company hasn’t made any announcements concerning the Def Jam or Marvel games but stated that the Fight Night series has already been moved to an EA studio in British Columbia.