Fight Night Returns, Mass Effect Ends: EA Outlines Its Franchise Plan

Following the news that Electronic Arts will lay off 400 workers, including 50 from BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and the Baldur's Gate games, which is being shut down, the company shared a message outlining its plans for its franchises. 

In an email from Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber and Chief Operating Officer David Tinson, addressed to the company's employees and shared publicly on EA's website, the company shared that it had taken a "hard look at [its] business" and "made deliberate choices in order to deliver exceptional experiences for our players and to drive sustained growth."

"Today, we're the number one publisher in Western HD gaming. That's an extraordinary position to lead from, and one we should be proud of. Yet our industry is changing quickly. Players have more choices than ever for their time and attention, competition is intensifying, and some of our biggest opportunities for growth are beyond the markets, platforms, and business models where EA has traditionally been the strongest," the email reads.

According to the announcement, Electronic Arts is focusing on three strategic priorities. The first one implies that the company will "say no" to some of its projects and focus on its "biggest opportunities." Another goal is to expand the company's reach across platforms, business models, and markets, such as Asia. The third is creating interactive entertainment experiences, with a focus on EA's "relationships in sports."

Battlefield remains a key franchise, with EA bringing Respawn and DICE together on a new project. The company will continue to invest in Apex through new multiplayer modes and experiences. EA will also continue developing Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game, while working on fewer large-scale action-adventure projects at the same time.

BioWare's early development on Mass Effect is being discontinued, and the studio and its Edmonton office are closing.

EA SPORTS will continue investing in FC and its broader portfolio. There are two new projects in development, with details to be revealed in the next few months. The two projects are a brand-new, social-first open-world experience for EA's American football portfolio, called Project Gridiron, and a new entry in the Fight Night boxing franchise, whose latest installment was in 2011; the latter is now in pre-production.

As for the lifestyle games, Electronic Arts will keep developing its long-running The Sims series alongside its open-world online multiplayer skateboarding game skate. For skate., EA is making changes to the studio "to have a more focused, smaller team." Kotaku pointed out that some developers there have already reported layoffs on LinkedIn.

The company will also focus on The Sims title codenamed Project Evergreen and pause development on Project Lotus.

Further details on the restructuring are expected to be shared at EA's Global Town Hall in November.