Pandemic Studios Gets the Axe

Yesterday, EA representatives confirmed the closure of Pandemic Studios, makers of such titles as Mercenaries, Star Wars: Battlefront, and the upcoming The Saboteur.

While the process of shutting the developer down is still underway, it appears that the vast majority of Pandemic’s 200 regular employees were shown the door. CEO Andrew Goldman, President Josh Resnick, and Vice President of Product Development Greg Borrud were included in that list.

In an internal memo published earlier by Kotaku, EA Games Senior Vice President Nick Earl had this to say:

“I want to make it clear that the Pandemic brand and franchises will live on. In the months ahead, we will announce plans for new games based on Pandemic franchises. This type of change can be difficult. But the situation calls for us to act decisively, to take control of our destiny and to run a stronger, more focused development operation. That’s how we will continue to make great games in our LA studios.”

He further noted that the closure was integral to “improve our cost structure, ensure quality, and build schedule integrity for this studio.”

This is obviously the first major strike in EA’s extensive house-cleaning effort we reported on last week. If the original number of 1500 jobs cut by March holds true, Pandemic won’t be the last Electronic Arts studio that undergoes restructuring. Luckily, EA did say a large amount of the studio’s staff would be absorbed into its Los Angeles studio.

The Saboteur had just finished its development cycle and is still slated for a December 8th release.

[Via: Kotaku]

Tags: EA Electronic Arts Layoffs Pandemic Studios studio closings