Electronic Arts (EA) has unveiled a significant restructuring plan that will see the cancellation of Respawn Entertainment’s in-development Star Wars first-person shooter (FPS) and the reduction of its workforce by approximately 670 employees, or 5% of its total staff. This move is part of a broader strategy to refocus on owned brands and support existing games, amidst a shifting landscape towards open-world, community-driven, and live service games. Strategic Shifts and Project Cancellations EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, in a note to staff, detailed the company’s future business priorities, highlighting the difficult decision to shut down the early development Star Wars FPS action game. Miele emphasized that the decision reflects a strategic focus rather than a commentary on the development team’s talent or passion. Rumored to feature a Mandalorian protagonist, the fate of this Star Wars FPS, as well as EA’s Star Wars strategy game, now hangs in the balance as…
ea
Stig Asmussen Departs Respawn Entertainment and EA
Stig Asmussen, the renowned director behind the successful titles “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” has announced his departure from Respawn Entertainment and its parent company, Electronic Arts (EA). Asmussen’s decision to leave comes after a commendable career in the gaming industry that spans nearly a quarter of a century. A Storied Career: Asmussen’s journey in the gaming world is nothing short of illustrious. Before joining Respawn, he played pivotal roles in the creation of the original “God of War” trilogy at Santa Monica Studio. He began as the lead environment artist, transitioned to the role of art director, and ultimately took the reins as the creative director for “God of War 3. In 2014, Asmussen joined Respawn Entertainment as a game director. His first major project with the studio was the 2019 hit, “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.” The game’s success was followed by “Star…
EA CEO Expresses Interest in New Star Wars Jedi Game
In a recent earnings call, Electronic Arts (EA) CEO Andrew Wilson expressed his interest in seeing another entry in developer Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi series. While no official announcements were made, Wilson’s comments have sparked excitement among fans of the franchise. A Desire for More Jedi Adventures During the Q&A portion of EA’s first quarter earnings call, Wilson was asked about the publisher’s future approach to the Star Wars franchise, particularly concerning live services and ongoing engagement. Although he didn’t make any official announcements, Wilson spoke highly of EA’s partnership with Disney and Lucasfilm and the success of games like Star Wars Battlefront, the popular Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes mobile game, and the Star Wars Jedi series. “Our teams are always thinking about what new experiences we might be able to create,” Wilson said. “Certainly, I would love to see more in the Jedi franchise over time. It’s just…
EA Shareholders Vote Against Pay Packages
A majority of EA’s shareholders have voted against EA’s proposed compensation package for its top executives. What does this mean exactly? Early in July, the CtW Investment Group, one of EA’s pro-labour shareholders, urged investors to vote against the Say on Pay proposal and if it had passed, this would have given EA total control over how it compensates the top execs outside of their salaries. But in the beginning of August, there was the annual shareholder meeting and 68% of shareholders voted to reject the executive pay proposal. Over 171 million votes were cast against it, compared to 59.6 million in favor according to regulatory SEC financial filing made the same week. “Shareholders issued a resounding rebuke of Electronic Arts’ deeply flawed executive pay practices that does not incentivize executives to create long-term value,” said CtW executive director Dieter Waizenegger. “This vote is a clarion call for the board to stop piling…
Possible Direction of EA’s New Star Wars Game
EA is working on a new Star Wars game. For those who don’t know, EA has partnered with Disney to have exclusive rights to the Star Wars license until 2023. This means they are the only studio who can make Star Wars games at this time. Some fans aren’t happy about that, but it is what it is and we can’t really do anything to change that. So for now, at least, we have to work with what we’re given and that means embracing EAs role in all of this. Despite some canceled games and a rocky start to Battlefront II, they’re not doing all that bad in the gaming department. What might we see in the future? FlickeringMyth.com speculates on what future Star Wars games we might see. A Star Wars Battlefront III, perhaps? What would that look like? And what would be the benefit to a new game,…
Why Does EA Keep Canceling Star Wars Games?
If you’ve been around our site for a while, you’ll know that we’ve written about quite a few anticipated Star Wars video games that were later canceled. Some were put to rest before they ever had the chance to be developed and others had us ready to purchase when they pulled the plug. One thing they all had in common: they left us disappointed. So, why does EA keep canceling Star Wars games? Well, it would seem they have different reasons for doing so. Since EA secured the publishing rights on Star Wars games from Disney, they have canceled at least three Star Wars games. The most recent one being the Battlefront spin-off. EA has given various reasons each time they cancel one of these anticipated games but the common thread seems to be timing. The latest Star Wars game, code-named “Viking” was rumored to be a Battlefront spin-off with…
EA Games and EA Access Coming to Steam with Launch of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
In a bit of a surprise announcement, Electronic Arts recently stated that all of the publisher’s games and it’s EA Access subscription service will be making an appearance on Steam. It all begins with the launch of the long-awaited Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order which is slated to release on November 15th, 2019. In the months following the release of Fallen Order more and more of EA’s titles will be added to Steam. It’ll be a slow and steady process, but, eventually, even the likes of mega-hits such as Apex Legends and Battlefield 5 will be available for download via Steam’s service. In addition to individual games being added we’ll also see EA Access made available via Steam. This is currently tentatively set to start sometime in the Spring of 2020. EA Access is a subscription service that gives players the ability to play a plethora of titles for one,…
Should EA Lose their Star Wars License?
Here’s a question that’s been going around for a while now, since the future of Star Wars games is looking pretty bleak and EA seems to have canceled yet another one. Many fans are saying “enough is enough” and they want Disney to fix this issue they very clearly had a part in by allowing other companies to make Star Wars games. Is it fair to say that EA should lose their license, based on how they have performed? Well, someone very close to the Star Wars universe seems to think so. Gary Whitta, the co-writer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has said what a lot fans have been thinking. For Electronic Arts (EA) to have the “one of a kind” Star Wars licensing deal taken away, due to their mishandling of the franchise. Whitta details his thought process and frustrations during a video interview with Kinda Funny Games, referring to…
Troubling Times for EA Star Wars Games
We’ve written quite a bit here about the rise and fall of so many Star Wars games. In recent years, this has always included talk of Electronic Arts. That’s because EA are the only ones who can make Star Wars games, at least for now. On May 6, 2013, Disney and Electronic Arts announced that the two companies had signed a ten-year deal to make Star Wars games. This would be a deal that many would later question, as it doesn’t seem to be working out for either party as well as they had hoped. It’s certainly not working out for the fans the way that we had hoped. Kotaku recently published a piece that talks about this exact problem – EA’s Troubled Decade of Star Wars Games. Here’s part of what they had to say: ““Back in 2013, Star Wars was in a rough place. The most recent movie had been 2005’s Revenge of…
Series of EA Project Cancellations Leaves Gamers Fuming as it Under Delivers on Disney’s Star Wars Gaming Franchise
In the latest breaking news involving EA, the company failed to dispel strong rumours from reputable sources, rumours which proclaimed the cancellation of the promised, long awaited and much anticipated, future release of the next single player title meant to continue the massively popular Star Wars saga. Initially developed under the codename Ragtag which aimed at creating a linear gameplay adventure. However, a mid-2017 reimagining refocused the teams to instead develop an open world environment re-focused on delivering a broader player experience. Ironically this mid-2017 reimagining seemingly is possibly also the reason for the project’s death, since developing “a broader experience” would apparently have required too long a build period, driving costs up. The most common fan response to that would be somewhere along the lines of “come-on EA, Bethesda managed to create just such a series of open world games with each episode of The Elder Scrolls series and…
Celebrate EA Play to Give 2018 and get a Droid Mini-Pet
As part of EA’s Play to Give campaign, BioWare as part of the EA corporation, is partnering with three charitable organizations: the United Nation’s HeForShe, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, and Ditch the Label. These nonprofits strive to create a world where everyone can play and feel welcomed. Check out the news below: Celebrate EA Play to Give 2018 From Friday, June 1, 2018, through Sunday, June 3, 2018, anyone who joins the battle in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ and completes three group missions will earn the new MB-6 Micro-Defender Droid Mini-Pet and celebrate the EA Play to Give campaign!* Through EA Play to Give, we’re celebrating the importance of inclusion and play and the positive connections it makes for all the diverse players around the world. Help us celebrate what everyone in our galactic community contributes to our galaxy! Next weekend, team up with friends new and old in…
EA’s Fourth Quarter Earnings Call
Electronic Arts did their fourth-quarter earnings call and there were a few interesting tidbits about Star Wars. There wasn’t loads of info about Star Wars in there, so you may not want to listen to the entire call unless you’re an investor, or just really into following what EA is up to. We took the liberty of pulling out some of the Star Wars highlights to make it easier for you. We’ll link to the full call below if you want to listen. You know they couldn’t have this meeting and not talk about Star Wars Battlefront II, so let’s see how it was mentioned: EA said they continue to be committed to the game by listening to player feedback and making changes as needed. They pointed to the progression system revamp as well as Solo Season 2 as some examples of their commitment. The return of microtransactions in SWBFII…
Microsoft to acquire Electronic arts and Valve?
Here is an interesting rumor that made the news yesterday. “A reliable source close to Microsoft” with reports of “internal shifts” told Polygon , that Microsoft is creating the necessary situation for an acquisition of Electronic Arts, Valve and Korean outfit PUBG Corp. The reason for the buy up should be to get more exclusives games to the XBOX One. A large acquisition of this nature, especially of publishing titan EA, would be a substantial step in bolstering Microsoft’s gaming software division. Buying Steam would alleviate their problems with the Windows Store. EA is about a 25 billion dollar company. Valve is not a publicly traded company but it is estimated to be about 10 billion dollar company. (estimated based off primary shareholder being worth around 4 billion and holding over 50% of share and aligned with previous estimate growth) Bluehole would be a relatively small acquisition and not sure if it brings…
Electronic Arts downgraded by Morgan Stanley on disappointing ‘Star Wars’ Sales
Morgan Stanley downgraded Electronic Arts from Overweight to Equalweight with a price target of $120.00 (from $126.00). Analyst Brian Nowak comments: “Recent disappointing Star Wars Battlefront 2 third party data (NPD and GfK ) cause us to lower our Star Wars unit estimate from 13mn in F3Q to 10mn. These lower unit expectations flow down to the bottom line.” I find this quite interesting as Star Wars: Battlefront was the most downloaded playstation game in december 2017. Most analysts also remains optimistic. Of the 19 brokerages covering EA, 16 rate the shares a “buy” or “strong buy.” In addition, EA’s average 12-month price target of $128.52 represents a 16% premium from the stock’s current perch, and is in uncharted territory for the shares. This implies that more downgrades and price-target cuts could be on the horizon. Brian Nowak also had some thoughts on the rollout of “Star Wars Battlefront 2” microtransactions: It’s unlikely…
Petition to Revoke EA’s Star Wars License
We all know how upset players have been with EA over the controversial launches of both Star Wars Battlefront I and II. When we all thought Battlefront II was going to be better, the redeeming game even, they threw a curveball and added loot crates. There was such an uproar over that, they actually had to suspend the idea (at least for now). For many Star Wars gamer fans, this was the last straw. EA has the rights to Star Wars games but it would seem they keep fumbling the ball with one mistake after another and the fans are the ones suffering. That’s why there is now a petition asking Lucasfilm to revoke EA’s license for making Star Wars games. Right now, it’s an exclusive license which means no other companies can make Star Wars games. So far, over 60,000 people have signed the petition and it’s still climbing. What…
Visceral studio closing down. Unnamed Star Wars game moved to EA Vancouver
EA posted an update on the VISCERAL Star Wars project late last night. According to EA’s Vice President Patrick Söderlund, the studio is being closed down, and the game is being moved over to other EA studios, which will see the game through until its release. The Star Wars title was announced in 2013, and had that former Uncharted and Naughty Dog director Amy Hennig on the team, who was co-writing the title with Todd Stashwick. Posted by Patrick Söderlund Our industry is evolving faster and more dramatically than ever before. The games we want to play and spend time with, the experiences we want to have in those games, and the way we play…all those things are continually changing. So is the way games are made. In this fast-moving space, we are always focused on creating experiences that our players want to play…and today, that means we’re making a significant change with one of our…
EA Announces Exciting New Game: Star Wars Rise to Power
The Game of War fad has brought many popular multiplayer base-building strategy games to the forefront of our minds and now EA will be bringing a Star Wars game to the mix. Welcome Star Wars: Rise to Power. It’s currently in closed pre-alpha testing phase and EA is looking for testers. Registering doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in, but if you want a chance, you better head on over and get signed up. So what IS this game? Here’s what they have to say about it: “Star Wars™: Rise to Power is a mobile strategy game set in the Star Wars™ universe. Still in development, we are inviting Android users on Google Play to join a Closed Pre-Alpha Test where they will have the opportunity to play the game, provide valuable feedback, and help shape the next great EA Star Warsmobile game. In Star Wars: Rise to Power, the war between the Empire and the dawning…
EA Tries to Schedule Star Wars Games Aligned with Upcoming Movies
EA says it will do its best to align some of its Star Wars games and content with the upcoming Star Wars movies. Honestly, is that really surprising to anyone anyway? It will definitely be in their benefit to do so as this will increase the popularity of the games and the number of people who sign on to play them. At this year’s Star Wars fan experience, Star Wars Celebration 2016, the Rogue One DLC for Star Wars Battlefront was announced. This DLC seems to be entwined with the release of the Rogue One movie. Again, not a surprise at all. This is just smart business. When something’s hot, you want to take full advantage of it from a business perspective. During the company’s most recent earnings call, Wilson was asked about the breadth of the platform and possible marketing opportunity: More broadly thinking about the Star Wars franchise,…
EA Announces Next 4 Star Wars Games: 2018 and Beyond
What does the future look like for Star Wars games? Well, it seems it will be very, very bright. As predicted, we’re not going to see the end of Star Wars games any time soon. With movies plotted to release over the next number of years, we’re also going to see new games – four new Star Wars games, to be exact. EA has a plan and they’ve now released at least some information about that plan to us. As a part of this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), we got short glimpses at each one of these new games. The teases were part of the EA press conference and as we already know, EA has the publishing rights to Star Wars titles for the next 10 years. So what are they doing with it? Well, here’s what we know about the released titles so far: A Star Wars VR…
EA Star Wars: A Look Ahead
EA Star Wars has given us a new video that talks about what we can expect in the future from EA regarding the Star Wars franchise. In just about 3 1/2 minutes, we see some great highlights of what is to come, as well as the team behind these amazing games. You’ll hear from representatives of DICE, BioWare, Motive, Visceral Games, Capital Games, and Respawn Entertainment. There’s not really any footage into any of the games, although we do see some brief footage of the design process. We do hear story from people from these teams, what Star Wars means to them, and how they put that passion into the games they create for us, fellow fans. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the video for yourself below, then take a minute and tell us what you think. Take a look at what’s going on with some of…
SWTOR Follow Up Analysis from EA’s FY16 Report
EA’s Annual Report in the form of its Form 10-K filed with the SEC this week talks a bit about SWTOR. Where does it stand now? Is it gaining more attention? swtoreconomics had some opinions to share on the matter and we think you’ll find it interesting too: “Star Wars: The Old Republic has received a lot of attention for its episodic story content cycle that began in October 2015 with the release of Knights of the Fallen Empire and opinions vary widely. There is little doubt that the financial success or failure of this content cycle will be the largest factor in determining the future path of the game. There is one paragraph that provides essentially all of the information in the entire 97 page report regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic specifically: For fiscal year 2016, service and other revenue was $1,899 million, primarily driven by FIFA Ultimate Team and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Service and other revenue for fiscal year 2016…
Hesitating Over EA Access? Maybe It IS a Good Deal
If you’re like most of us gamers, it seems like there is a ploy around every corner to get more money from you and it can be difficult to know where and how to spend your money wisely. Believe me, I know all about this as I was addicted to Humble Bundle before they came out with their monthly subscription offer and I have been known to spend real-world cash in WoW, Steam, and various games that I play. Hey, some people go to expensive movies, concerts, or dinner dates and some people get their entertainment online. The point is, EA Access may have seemed to a lot of us like another money grab from EA but is it really? Could it be that it’s actually worth it after all, at least for some gamers? Let’s explore this idea for a bit, shall we? Connor over at MMO Fallout makes…
EA Teases Future Star Wars Games and More
You know how we love Star Wars games and we know you do too. Now EA is giving some indication that we might have some more Star Wars games on the way soon. CFO Blake Jorgensen said this week that Battlefront, mobile game Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, and free-to-play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic did “extremely well” in 2015 and will continue to perform well in the time ahead. He then goes on to say that the sky is the limit for Star Wars games and the brand, which really is not a surprise to anyone at this point. EA has the license to the brand for the next 10 years and with the new films coming out as well, we can bet they will do all they can to make the most of this opportunity. “We see it as a great start–building a strong base of people that…
EA Ups Sales Estimate for Battlefront
While The Force Awakens does not release until December, many fans awaiting something new Star Wars themed have jumped onto Star Wars: Battlefront to hold them over and help pass the time. One of the most eagerly awaited games of the year, EA had predicted sales of 9 to 10 million but have since upped that estimate to 13 million. NY Times reports: “While “Star Wars” games have a checkered reputation for quality and sales, the new game, published by Electronic Arts, has created a buzz with its photorealistic graphics. The game allows players to engage in pivotal battle scenes depicted in the three original “Star Wars” movies. Electronic Arts, emboldened by demand for Star Wars Battlefront, recently bumped up its sales estimate for the game during its current fiscal year to 13 million units, from a previous estimate of 9 million to 10 million. —Nick Wingfield” While this may be what EA…