EA has laid off Battlefield 6 developers around the world despite the game being a record success for the company.
As first reported by IGN, the gaming giant has cut employees at all four of the teams that make up its Battlefield Studios: DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect and Montreal-based Motive. It’s unclear exactly how many people have been affected overall and at each individual studio.
“We’ve made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community,” an EA spokesperson told IGN. “Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and we’re continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs.”
That’s a weak statement in general, and it’s even worse when you consider how big Battlefield 6 has been. After marking the series’ biggest-ever launch with seven million copies sold in just three days, the military shooter went on to become the best-selling game of 2025, dethroning the usual number-one seller, Call of Duty.
And yet, EA is still laying off employees. It’s a sad representation of the broader problems that are plaguing the video game industry in recent years. Even when developers do their jobs in delivering an acclaimed game that sells well, they can still find themselves on the chopping block. Meanwhile, executives like EA CEO Andrew Wilson are raking in even more millions each year.
In the case of Battlefield, specifically, it was reported last year that EA has been expecting at least 100 million Battlefield 6 players, an extremely ambitious goal unattainable for the vast majority of games. (For context, the Battlefield series peak, Battlefield 1, reportedly “only” amassed about 30 million players). That said, Battlefield 6 has also been facing diminishing player counters and more mixed reviews on Steam, with users criticizing the game’s monetization, AI-generated cosmetics and slow rollout of content updates.
These Battlefield layoffs also come amid EA’s pending sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (which already holds a nearly 10 per cent investment in EA) and the U.S.’ Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the last of which is run by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
People are already wary of the deal not only because of Kushner’s close ties to the president, but also Saudi Arabia, which already has a big stake in many companies and is currently backing Paramount’s pending buyout of Warner Bros. The Saudi regime is also noted for its human rights issues, including the murders of multiple journalists who were critical of the government. On top of all of that, there are concerns that such a move will lead to even more layoffs at EA studios. (It should be noted that IGN reports that EA is telling employees that these new Battlefield cuts are unrelated to the acquisition.)
Image credit: EA
Source: IGN
