Respawn Cancels Projects, Hit With Layoffs

Summary

Respawn Entertainment has canceled two early-stage projects.
The move reportedly resulted in layoffs impacting around 100 employees.
Respawn is still working on the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel and Apex Legends, in addition to supporting Bit Reactor's work on Star Wars: Zero Company.

Respawn Entertainment has canceled two projects and laid off some staffers as a result of the move. The news of one of these Respawn cancellations had already leaked in early spring.

In an early March 2025 LinkedIn post, a former Respawn staffer claimed that the company had canceled an unannounced multiplayer FPS. The project is believed to have been in early development since at least mid-2024, as indicated by the studio's job listing history.

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By Mohsen Baqery

On April 29, Respawn issued a statement announcing the cancellation of two games, both of which it described as "early-stage incubation projects." IGN reports that the aforementioned multiplayer FPS game was one of the two shelved titles, citing sources familiar with the matter. The resulting layoffs have reportedly impacted around 100 staffers, including QA testers, developers, and publishing experts, as per the same source. Based on (presumably incomplete) LinkedIn data, this amounts to roughly 12% of the Apex Legends developer's workforce.

Respawn's Statement on Its Latest Game Cancellations

The EA-owned company described the downsizing as "targeted team adjustments" impacting its Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi teams. "These decisions aren't easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected," the studio said. Some of the affected employees might be offered different roles within EA. Those who don't have still been promised "meaningful support." IGN reports some staffers have already been moved to EA Motive, where they'll work on the studio's upcoming Iron Man game. As part of these changes, Respawn SVP and head of operations, Daniel Suarez, is being promoted to general manager, a role previously held by studio founder Vince Zampella. Suarez will report directly to Zampella, who will continue overseeing both Respawn and the Battlefield franchise.

These decisions aren't easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected.

The news of this downsizing arrives just over a year after the Apex Legends team was already hit with layoffs in March 2024. That particular move was characterized as part of group-wide cost-cutting efforts, in which EA aimed to reduce its workforce by around 5%—affecting roughly 670 employees. A month earlier, Respawn canceled its Star Wars first-person shooter, which was originally announced in January 2022.

Respawn Is Still Working on At Least 3 Games

Following this latest instance of resource refocusing, Respawn has at least three more projects on its plate. One of them is the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel, whose existence was initially confirmed in September 2023. The other is Apex Legends, still one of EA's most valuable properties. Lastly, Respawn is still playing a supporting role in the development of Bit Reactor's Star Wars strategy game, which was recently revealed in the form of Star Wars: Zero Company.

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