'Star Wars' FPS Game Cancelled But Respawn Still Working On New Jedi Game, 'Iron Man' And 'Black Panther'

Video Games

Mar 1

Layoffs are hitting the video game industry. The next round comes from EA. The company announced that the Star Wars first-person shooter game, rumored to include a Mandalorian protagonist, has been canceled. Naturally, those hired to work on the project will lose their current positions. Some of the team will be transferred to other projects. However, EA has confirmed that the layoffs will affect 5% of their workforce or around 670 employees. Company president Laura Miele addressed the issue,

“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. Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.”

She continued, “It’s not lost on me that these changes are more than words on a page; they directly impact the work you do every day and, in some cases, mean we are eliminating roles and saying goodbye to talented colleagues. I will never lose sight of the human impact of these decisions, and know that change and disruption aren’t easy. In difficult moments, we must remember how important it is to show up for our players and for each other.”

Although many fans were looking forward to a new kind of Star Wars game, the company confirmed that they would still be working on a new game in the Jedi series as well as Iron Man and Black Panther games. The previous games in the Jedi series were Fallen Order and Survivor and featured Cal Kestis as the series protagonist. Even with these big-name games, EA is planning to focus more on IPs they own while maintaining their relationship with Disney and Marvel. The company claims the reason for this shift is plans is a trend toward open-world games and live-service games, something that’s difficult to maintain if you’re dancing around copyrights. However, fan reactions to the news show that there are plenty of gamers in the market for a compelling story in universes they love.

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