Apex Legends developer Respawn has canceled an incubation mission this week, and laid off an unknown variety of people engaged on it within the course of.
This information was first reported by Insider Gaming, sourcing a now-unavailable LinkedIn publish from a former manufacturing coordinator who wrote that “The unannounced incubation mission I used to be part of for the previous 12 months was canceled this week, so I’m becoming a member of the group of extraordinarily gifted and type individuals within the video games trade trying to find a brand new function.”
IGN has been capable of independently affirm that Respawn has canceled an unannounced incubation mission. IGN understands this was a multiplayer FPS (for which at least one job posting was listed last year) spun off by members of an inner staff that was previously engaged on a Star Wars FPS at Respawn, which was itself canceled final 12 months. IGN may also affirm that quite a few people have been laid off as a part of the cancellation. Though we’re unable to substantiate the precise quantity, it has been characterised as “small” by a supply acquainted with the mission. IGN has additionally recognized not less than one particular person linked to the mission who has clarified on LinkedIn that their departure was voluntary.
This continues an ongoing development of canceled initiatives, layoffs, and restructuring throughout EA, which kicked off in 2023 with the elimination of fifty jobs at BioWare and an unknown quantity extra at Codemasters. The culling continued nearly precisely one 12 months in the past when the corporate laid off 670 staff company-wide and shuttered a number of initiatives, together with the aforementioned Star Wars FPS. As a part of these cuts, round two dozen staff at Respawn misplaced their jobs. Since then, EA has restructured BioWare, shifting builders to different initiatives internally and shedding one other unknown variety of key people.
IGN has reached out to Electronic Arts for remark.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a narrative tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
