Things aren’t going well for the team at Respawn Entertainment. After two games were cancelled with 100 people let go at the studio, many have wondered about the the state of things with Respawn, including employee morale. Now, after the Black Panther game was cancelled with its developer Cliffhanger Studios being shut down, that has spread to concern with EA has a whole.
So much so that even current employees are making internal feelings known.
In a post on Bluesky, Patrick Wren, a senior encounter designer at Respawn, gave his quick thought on where things stand.
“Morale has been at an all-time low,” he said. “I can say that much.”
In a separate post, Wren added that he is “just sorry for everyone who just wants to make cool video games in this industry.”
In 2025, over 2,300 known jobs have been lost in the games industry across 64 companies. That number is likely closer to 3,000 jobs when accounting for the unconfirmed numbers from various layoffs.
What do you think of the state of EA’s various studios, including Respawn and the feeling that morale is “at an all-time low”? Let us know down below, and join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming forums.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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