Late Wednesday afternoon, EA announced that it was letting go of 670 employees — about 5% of its global workforce. As part of the layoffs, EA also revealed that it was closing its Ridgeline studio, the developer responsible for the single-player side of Battlefield.
Development of the single-player content in Battlefield is being moved to Criterion, the studio more known for the Burnout and Need For Speed franchise. It has, however, worked on small areas of Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042.
In her public statement on the layoffs, Laura Miele, president of EA Entertainment and Technology, seemed to indicate that the departure of Marcus Lehto has led to, in some form, the decision to shutter Ridgeline.
“Marcus Lehto recently made a personal decision to leave the project,” she said. “To ensure our work continues uninterrupted, we immediately appointed leadership at Criterion to oversee our single-player work.
“As part of this change, we’ll be winding down Ridgeline as a standalone studio in Seattle, with some team members joining Ripple Effect. They’ll continue to work with teams across DICE, Ripple, and Criterion as they build the next Battlefield experience.”
As of the numbers known, the gaming industry has seen over 8,000 people let go in the first two months of 2024. Last year saw approximately 10,000 laid off in some form.
What do you think of EA shutting down Ridgeline and moving Battlefield development over to Criterion? For more Insider Gaming, read about the Star Wars Mandalorian game that was also canceled at EA.
