EA cancels shooter in the Titanfall universe and fires up to 300 employees

Electronic Arts carried out a new round of restructuring that resulted in the layoff of about 200 to 300 employees, with approximately 100 of them from the Respawn Entertainment team, responsible for franchises like Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi. The measures are part of a "continuous focus on long-term strategic priorities," as stated in the company's announcement.

Among the impacts of this decision is the cancellation of two ongoing incubation projects at Respawn. One of them was a environmental extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe, internally known by the codename R7. The information was confirmed by Jason Schreier from Bloomberg and complemented by Jeff Grubb, who pointed out that the project was being led by Steve Fukuda, the original creator of Titanfall. According to Grubb, however, Titanfall 3 was not in development, despite the involvement of historical names from the franchise.

Respawn's focus now shifts to Apex Legends and the next title in the Star Wars Jedi series, currently in pre-production. As a result, the studio continues to concentrate its efforts on IPs that ensure greater commercial return and long-term stability.

The layoffs are part of a series of recent restructurings promoted by EA. In 2023, BioWare was affected with the layoff of 50 employees. In 2024, the company had already carried out a broader reorganization, resulting in the dismissal of 670 employees throughout the company, including members of Codemasters and again at Respawn.

These changes reflect the delicate moment in the industry, where major publishers have chosen to reassess their portfolios and invest in established franchises, leaving experimental projects behind.