Respawn's Star Wars FPS Is Canceled, But Work on Next Jedi Game, Black Panther and Iron Man Will Continue

ign.com:

Today, EA announced a major company shake-up that will result in roughly 670 individuals, or 5% of its workforce, losing their jobs. As a part of that same reorganization, Respawn's Star Wars FPS in-development at Respawn is being canceled.

Following CEO Andrew Wilson's announcement of the cuts today, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele shared a note with staff explaining in more detail what EA's business priorities would be going forward. This includes her announcement that EA is shutting down an early development Star Wars FPS action game as a part of an ongoing focus on its own owned brands and supporting its existing games.

"It's always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game," Miele wrote. "Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus."

Not much is known about the Star Wars FPS, but it was rumored to feature a Mandalorian protagonist in some way. The fate of EA's Star Wars strategy game is also unclear. EA is undertaking the move in part due to what it perceives to be a rapid shift toward large open-world games, massive communities, and live service games.

IGN understands that the team previously working on this game will largely be reassigned to other projects including Apex Legends, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Jedi — for which EA has confirmed a third installment. The Star Wars: Jedi franchise will continue, despite EA's move to focusing on owned IP, and EA is said to remain focused on its long-standing relationship with Disney/Marvel.

Additionally, EA will be restructuring its Battlefield teams somewhat following the departure of Marcus Lehto announced yesterday. It's sunsetting Ridgeline Games, folding some of its developers into Ripple Effect. Danny Isaac and Darren White at Criterion will oversee single-player work on the series going forward.

And EA also will