Electronic Arts has announced layoffs for their offices in Los Angeles, Montreal, and “smaller locations.” The exact number of employees the company has let go is currently unknown, as is exactly which developers these layoffs will wind up affecting.
As Frank Gibeau, EA Labels president, stated,
Thousands of our existing employees have been retrained and redeployed to work on the new platforms and initiatives. But when it is not possible to redeploy a team, we soften the tough decisions with assistance. This week we let some people go in Los Angeles, Montreal as well as in some smaller locations. These are good people and we have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease their transition to a new job.
EA Montreal is the home of the Army of Two, SSX, and The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff. EA Los Angeles is the current home of Command and Conquer, Medal of Honor, and is the birthplace of the Battle for Middle Earth games. Hopefully the franchises will be undamaged by the loss of staff.
