It was recently revealed that Respawn Entertainment has been hit with more layoffs as Electronic Arts continues to restructure. These layoffs – which are said to affect around two dozen employees – will impact the Apex Legends development team the most. Last week, Electronic Arts kicked off an initiative to cut 5% of its global workforce to reorganise itself, closing down projects and studios around the world.

On social media platforms, former Respawn Entertainment developers lamented their unexpected departure from the company. For years, Apex Legends has been a figurehead title at both Respawn and Electronic Arts, and there are desires to support the game for many more years to come. It’s expected that several hundred employees are yet to be made redundant across Electronic Arts’ sizeable development estate.

‘Thanks For Everything, Legends’

When announcing the restructuring effort, Electronic Arts’ representatives explained that there’s a goal to invest more in its own franchises. This means the tech titan is pulling away from licensed IP – such as Star Wars – and focusing more of its energy on in-house production and development. That’s why it comes as a surprise that Respawn Entertainment has been hit by these recent layoffs.

On Twitter, Alex Ackerman, former Global Social Media Lead for Apex Legends, wrote:

‘After 20 Seasons of Apex and 5 years at Respawn nearly to the day, my job has been made redundant and I have been laid off. Working on this game and supporting this community has truly been the honor of my career and a highlight of my life. Thank you for everything, Legends.’

It was just days ago that Respawn bolstered its social media teams and opened up new channels, including a French-serving account on Twitter.

Most recently, Electronic Arts’ restructuring effort saw the shutdown of some mobile games, the closure of Ridgeline, and some high-level departures take place. There are concerns about the future of some franchises, such as Battlefield, which has been hit relatively hard by this reorganisational step. Apex Legends isn’t expected to suffer because of these layoffs, but it is a sizeable hit to the development community working on the revolutionary battle royale title.

This week, the first Pro League splits of the Apex Legends Global Series will start to wrap up. There are still plenty of eyes on the future of the Apex Legends esports scene, the next major milestone of which is the impending ALGS 2024 Split Playoffs. The first branch will be played on April 1st, boasting a $1 million prize pool.

For more Apex Legends news, stay tuned to Esports.net