EA is shuttering Ridgeline Video games, the studio co-founded by former Halo developer Marcus Lehto that was tasked with creating the narrative marketing campaign within the subsequent Battlefield. The closure follows phrase of Lehto’s departure earlier this week and coincides with a broader restructuring introduced earlier right this moment that can see EA lay off some 670 workers amid a shift away from future licensed IPs. The work that was begun on the Battlefield single-player marketing campaign will proceed.
In an inside word, EA Leisure president Laura Miele stated that Criterion producer Danny Isaac and studio head of artistic Darren White will substitute Lehto to proceed work on the deliberate narrative marketing campaign, with some members of Ridgeline Video games becoming a member of Ripple Impact to proceed engaged on Battlefield. DICE, Criterion and Ripple Impact are all at the moment at work on the subsequent Battlefield sport, which has been confirmed however not absolutely revealed.
The closure is an abrupt finish for Ridgeline Video games, which was established in 2022 to work on the marketing campaign led by Lehto. Lehto is a Bungie veteran whose portfolio contains serving as artistic director on Halo: Attain. He joined EA within the wake of criticism over Battlefield 2042’s lack of a single-player narrative marketing campaign.
Lehto not too long ago departed EA on what he says was “my very own accord,” with EA calling it a “private determination.” In her word, Miele expressed confidence within the upcoming Battlefield sport, calling it “formidable and thrilling” and saying that it’s “making significant progress.” Miele praised the studios and management she says is “dedicated to constructing a Battlefield platform our followers will love.”
EA’s strikes add to a interval of turmoil for the video games trade as Sony, Xbox, and different main publishers and platform holders reduce jobs and shut studios, with greater than 6000 video games trade employees are estimated to have misplaced their jobs in 2024 alone. CEO Andrew Wilson has stated that EA’s “major aim is to supply crew members with alternatives to search out new roles and paths to transition onto different tasks.”
“I have been within the trade for 15 years and I’ve by no means seen issues this dangerous,” stated one developer who had been not too long ago let go in our report on the continued layoffs. “Everyone seems to be scared and ready to see if their studio goes to be subsequent. I’m fearful that this 12 months goes to trigger actual, everlasting harm and scarring to the sport devs affected, and it is not going to be good. The aftershocks of this are going to resonate for the foreseeable future. Video games are finally a labor of affection and creativity, and a demoralized workforce isn’t going to be at its greatest.”
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Information Director in addition to co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Ship her a DM at @the_katbot.