Nate "Stay Vibrant" Foster

EA employees are describing the recent layoffs (BioWare, Respawn, Motive Studio, Ripple Effect...) as "wildly disruptive," while complaining of "terrible morale" and "generative AI push." In a new report based on anonymous interviews with current and former EA employees, Vertical Slice claims EA workers decry mismanagement and corporate greed after the company was taken private by a Saudi-led investor consortium in a $55 billion deal. "A cold dead place that's slowly decaying as leadership pilfers every last cent." verticalslice.news/ea-worker… ▪️ EA does not clearly disclose who has been cut - even at the studio level or to some managers. This is creating confusion for days or weeks, leaving in-progress work in limbo, and forcing staff to rely on informal "whisper networks" to find out who is gone. The emotional impact is prolonged because people learn about colleagues being laid off gradually over time. ▪️ Affected workers were invited to "zoom calls" with chat disabled and other participants hidden. They had no chance to ask questions or say goodbye to coworkers. Sources called it "very impersonal": "You're getting laid off because you're just numbers on a list." ▪️ Some laid-off employees were given a grace period to apply for open internal positions, but many of those roles require working in-office three days a week. This is not viable for remote workers or those unwilling to relocate. One source called it "a joke" and said: "I didn't even bother looking because I don't want to work at this place anymore." ▪️ Morale has "nosedived." Management's slogan of "do less, better" has meant doing the same amount of work with fewer people. Upper management is enthusiastically pushing generative AI, which is not yet mandated but is being made very difficult to work without. Employees see this as an attempt to keep making games with as few people as possible. ▪️ Sources describe the "C-suite" as out of touch with both game production realities and what players actually want. There is a feeling that "EA executives cannot fail, only be failed." The overriding priority is seen as funneling cash to the new private owners.