EA’s latest round of job cuts have seen a large number of developers laid off at Skate developer Full Circle, with staff taking to social media to reveal they have been let go from the company.
Speaking in an official statement this week, EA touched briefly on Skate by stating they were making some “changes to the studio” as it plans to keep player engaged long-term.
For Skate, we’ve had a lot of success in bringing players into the game, and we need to create an experience that keeps them engaged over the long-term. To do that, we are making changes to the studio to have a more focused, smaller team to deliver on a very clear roadmap for our community that we believe will build a healthier and more sustainable business.
John Euler took to LinkedIn to reveal that he was one of many impacted by the cuts, having previously served as Skate’s seasonal creative director. “Well, as of today, my role at Full Circle has been eliminated,” he wrote. “Coming up on my 19 year anniversary in the industry – and all of that time spent at EA – I can’t say I’m sad. A little nervous, definitely, but I’m looking forward to doing something new.”
Elsewhere, senior game designer Adam Martinazzi wrote, “I, like many of the other talented people at Full Circle, was let go today. “Part of me is sad and frustrated. The other part accepts that this is a ‘just part of the industry’. And the other other part is grateful for the time I got to spend working on a cool game with lots of awesome people.”
“Looks like my position at Full Circle has been eliminated. Sad to have to leave. I really enjoyed working on Skate and loved the team I worked with. But it’s on to the next thing now,” revealed senior designer, David Milne.
EA announced overnight that it was cutting around 400 jobs and shutting down BioWare, the studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Previously, the publishing giant had been acquired by a consortium that includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.
[Source – VGC]