Electronic Arts Laying off Hundreds of Employees

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Electronic Arts lays off hundreds
Staff reduction part of overall realignment

By Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:22 PM ET Feb. 1, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Electronic Arts told several hundred employees Wednesday that they're being laid off, with some cuts effective immediately.

The Redwood City, Calif.-based videogame company (ERTS:54.76, +0.18, +0.3%) , which employs 6,500 to 7,000 people worldwide, said the cuts affect a small percentage of its workforce, declining to provide a specific number.

Wednesday's layoffs were among development personnel, those involved with engineering and programming, among other duties.

The move is part of an "overall realignment," said spokeswoman Trudy Muller. Muller added that Electronic Arts, which publishes popular video game franchises such as Madden NFL and The Sims, is focusing on "next-generation game platforms," such as the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT:28.04, -0.11, -0.4%) and PlayStation 3 from Sony Corp. (SNE: 47.99, -0.91, -1.9%) , as well as online, mobile and new markets.

"This is a relatively small percentage of our employee base," Muller said. "It's just a matter of finding the right mix and skill sets."

Muller added that in coming months, different divisions will evaluate "how resources are deployed."

Electronic Arts declined to discuss severance package details.

The company is scheduled to report quarterly financial results Thursday, and the layoffs may be addressed.

Thursday's report will provide insight into the health of video-game makers as they adjust to the introduction of new game systems. See full story.

Late last year the company said it expects earnings and revenue for its third and fourth quarters to be "well below" its financial forecasts and Wall Street's then-consensus estimates. Electronic Arts said the lowered forecast is primarily the result of unanticipated market declines in North America and Europe.
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Man... layoffs are harsh.

My deepest sympathies go out to all of those who will soon become jobless. At least they get severance pay.
 
in a related story-- EA opens up new headquarters in Liberia, Africa where it's a crime to pay someone more than 10 cents an hour.
 
Didn't they also fire a ton of people from EALA a while back? Damn EA. Good thing I refuse to buy their shit games now.
 
Additionally, to further cope with financial issues, remaining employees will need to take a 20% pay cut. In unrelated news, the top 2% of the company just received a 45% raise.
 
Yes, EA is the only company on Earth who lays off employees. EA is so evil.

And NOT buying their games only means less revenue=FEWER PEOPLE WITH JOBS. Nice job of getting those hard working people laid off, dumbasses.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Yes, EA is the only company on Earth who lays off employees. EA is so evil.

And NOT buying their games only means less revenue=FEWER PEOPLE WITH JOBS. Nice job of getting those hard working people laid off, dumbasses.[/QUOTE]

Okay. From now on I will buy as many shitty, overpriced games as I can just so no one gets laid off.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Yes, EA is the only company on Earth who lays off employees. EA is so evil.

And NOT buying their games only means less revenue=FEWER PEOPLE WITH JOBS. Nice job of getting those hard working people laid off, dumbasses.[/QUOTE]

:lol:
 
I have to bust out this mykevermin quote as it is relevant...

[quote name='mykevermin']
Imagine what you'd purchase in your lifetime if you stuck to your guns and never bought anything from a company that lied.

You'd have to survive the rest of your life on one box of "Cream of Wheat."
[/QUOTE]
 
Well as long as the people fired are the same whiney bitches who were always complaining about having to work so long and not get paid as well as they liked then thats good news.

For all the hard workers who are fired I am sure they will have not much trouble finding work elsewhere.
 
[quote name='musha666']Well as long as the people fired are the same whiney bitches who were always complaining about having to work so long and not get paid as well as they liked then thats good news.

For all the hard workers who are fired I am sure they will have not much trouble finding work elsewhere.[/QUOTE]

wow, standing up for your rights as worker (they wanted to get paid for the work they did, essentially) gets you labeled as a "whiny bitch"?

hell. in. a. handbasket.
 
[quote name='gambitmachete']Okay. From now on I will buy as many shitty, overpriced games as I can just so no one gets laid off.[/QUOTE]

Uh, how exactly are EA games overpriced? Their last 2 baseball games each retailed for $30, and both were pretty un-shitty. Oh, you're talking about the 360 games? Then I guess Ubi Soft, Activision, Take Two, and SEGA all suck too, since their 360 games are also "overpriced". I love this blind hate for EA, from these people who think boycotting their games will actually make a difference.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Uh, how exactly are EA games overpriced? Their last 2 baseball games each retailed for $30, and both were pretty un-shitty. Oh, you're talking about the 360 games? Then I guess Ubi Soft, Activision, Take Two, and SEGA all suck too, since their 360 games are also "overpriced". I love this blind hate for EA, from these people who think boycotting their games will actually make a difference.[/QUOTE]

I don't conciously boycott EA games, I just don't have any more than 5 because I'm either not interested in it at all (sports) or any subject I would like was executed poorly (LotR etc).
I know its not EAs fault that the games they choose to publish suck... oh wait... :roll:

I don't have a blind hate for them as it is a distaste for mediocre games with AAA price tags.
 
burnout's good, and so is Alice. other than that, i'm just interested in what they put out.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Uh, how exactly are EA games overpriced? Their last 2 baseball games each retailed for $30, and both were pretty un-shitty. Oh, you're talking about the 360 games? Then I guess Ubi Soft, Activision, Take Two, and SEGA all suck too, since their 360 games are also "overpriced". I love this blind hate for EA, from these people who think boycotting their games will actually make a difference.[/QUOTE]

Where did I say anything about EA games in my post? I was merely pointing out that blaming people who don't buy stuff they don't like for workers being laid off is fucking stupid. Oh no, the K-Mart in my area went out of business! I'm such an asshole for not shopping there!

Boycotting EA doesn't make a difference? I thought you just said it had such an adverse impact on them that they had to lay off hundreds of employees.

By the way, I love NBA Street and the Sims. I don't care about boycotting EA. I just responded 'cause your post was dumb.
 
[quote name='gambitmachete']Where did I say anything about EA games in my post? I was merely pointing out that blaming people who don't buy stuff they don't like for workers being laid off is fucking stupid. Oh no, the K-Mart in my area went out of business! I'm such an asshole for not shopping there!

Boycotting EA doesn't make a difference? I thought you just said it had such an adverse impact on them that they had to lay off hundreds of employees.

By the way, I love NBA Street and the Sims. I don't care about boycotting EA. I just responded 'cause your post was dumb.[/QUOTE]

1. My comment about EA employees being laid off because of people here not buying their games was sarcastic.

2. I assumed you were talking about EA games when saying "overpriced games", since we ARE talking about EA.

3. And no, boycotting EA won't make a difference, because the bulk of EA's profits come from the casual fans, who have no clue about EA's potentially immoral business tactics. They just see Madden on the shelves, during football season, and buy it, without knowing if it's any good at all or not. Same goes for a lot of their franchises.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Man... layoffs are harsh.

My deepest sympathies go out to all of those who will soon become jobless. At least they get severance pay.[/QUOTE]

Agreed.
 
While I'm not gung-ho "PRO-EA" or gung-ho "DIE-EA"...any layoffs are definitely not fun.

I've always found it ironic though, that there are so many haters out there who looooove to hate on EA "The Big Evil Corporation"...while they play games on consoles put out by what are considered by an even greater number of people to be "Bigger More Evil Corporations" ....SONY & MICROSOFT.
 
lol@paying all that money to secure the nfl for madden yet laying off employees a year later.

Talk about cruel not to mention all the jobs that were lost on any NON MADDEN football games that were going to be made.
Thanks for catwoman and marvel nemisis btw the only franchise they have me interested in is burnout and im wondering how much life is left in it.
 
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