570°

Here's The Memo EA Sent Employees During Today's Layoffs

Kotaku - EA laid off a whole bunch of staff today, and temporary CEO Larry Probst sent out a letter to employees that Kotaku has just obtained.

majiebeast4037d ago (Edited 4037d ago )

I wish everyone who lost their job the best of luck and hope they find a great new place to work.

They fire the good people(Developers including a 13 year veteran at Bioware) and they keep tools like, Frank everyone wants facebook in their games Gibeau.

Richitello probably still got his golden handshake for his services. Gotta love captitalism.

guitarded774036d ago

Well said...

On Topic: I thought this line was messed up "executive team develop a FY14 operating plan that drives growth, rationalizes headcount and controls costs". How crappy is it to lose your job and them say "we were just rationalizing headcount"? F the suits.

HappyGaming4036d ago

But an organisational structure with more people then required creates a slower and more bothersome environment to work in.

Sometimes suits have to let people go even if they are losing talent just to streamline the departments.

Firing people can also move a structure to a less bureaucratic system.

Lets hate on EA but the suits in that company are doing their job right. Please reply if you disagree.

Gaming1014036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

It is good to fire people if you want a short term boost in profit due to the lack of salaries you have to pay out, however data shows that this doesn't work to boost profit in the long term. This idea that it creates a bothersome working environment is complete spun nonsense from Public Relations people writing on behalf of CEO's.

In reality, when you lay off your best employees, it creates a sinking ship mentality. This is where the highest quality employees are afraid to lose their jobs when a company claims to be "creating a more efficient working environment". What happens is the higher quality employees leave the company as their skills are highly marketable. The only people who stay with your company are those that don't have good, marketable skills, and so you are left with a company with sub-par talent.

Getting rid of all that great talent was typical American business practices, where executives are afraid they'll not get as big a bonus this year (usually millions of dollars). This is done to get a couple of years of obscenely high bonuses due to cutting all your staff, it artificially raises your profits due to gutting your costs, then guess what? The executive leaves the company after making all that money. They almost always do, after a few years of CEO bonuses they have no need to work anymore as they have made several million dollars, and they couldn't give two shits if the company tanks after they have left, they already made their money. You will usually find them getting hired at a different company to temporarily boost that company's profit to appease shareholders, only he'll gut the company and do the same thing all over again.

What EA should have done was created more projects and utilized all that great talent. This would have boosted revenues and instilled a better corporate culture, where people aren't afraid of losing their jobs every time the CEO wants a bigger bonus, or is afraid of losing his bonus. Instead, they decided to gut the company to cut costs. Just watch, as you always see executives leave companies within 1-3 years, you'll see an executive change in no time. EA did already get a new guy in charge if I remember correctly, and this is the result.

yeahokchief4036d ago

If you don't like it then don't buy it.

1nsomniac4036d ago

That doesn't even make sense, I think you left your auto-response left on...

yeahokchief4036d ago

if you dont like my comment then dont read it

ThanatosDMC4036d ago

Lol! Nice comeback. HAHAHAHA! Funniest comment today.

jerethdagryphon4036d ago

golden handshake is coming on board =signing bonus
golden parachute is when you leave =big pension and stuff

Droidbro4036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

@Majiebeasts "gotta love capitalism" Why are you trashing capitalism? Do you hate video games?

4036d ago
brenda88berry4036d ago

Since I freelance I've been bringing in $90/h… I sit at home and I am doing my work from my laptop. The best thing is that I get more time to spent with my family and with my kids and in the same time I can earn enough to support them... You can do it too. Start here>>>>>>&g t;>>>>> http://W0w72.com

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4036d ago
Agent_hitman4037d ago

I feel bad for those people who lost their jobs at EA's hand.

Crazay4037d ago Show
Wagz224037d ago

Wow really to all the disagrees?! So your happy that they lost their jobs? I guess when your 12 and immature and don't have a job its hard to feel empathy...

sackboyhappy4037d ago

i think there's some weird people on here that disagree with comments without even reading them 1st just to anoy people.

kreate4036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

Depends.. sometimes its not the comment thats the problem, it also depends on who is making that comment.

I dont have any problems with agent_hitman. But considering he has 1 bubble, most likely he offended someone prior,thus he might get disagrees to something that typically wouldnt have disagrees with.

Tultras4036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

you're*

Tr10wn4036d ago

yeah some people just look for keywords like "EA" you said EA ill disagree with you, that how N4G work.

Kaneda4036d ago

Probably Activision fanboys...

lonesoul654036d ago

People don't disagree to the losing of jobs. It is how it is worded. "at EA's hand" is kind of adding a little something to create a reaction. It sucks to lose your job, but that is life and business. You want a better EA? Stop picking at every move they make, this might be one step in the right direction for the company.

TheUndertaker854036d ago

Actually I'm thinking something a little odd, but hey.

So, three quarters of the users here don't like EA, the games they release, or most of the developing companies under EA due to how they handle titles. While I won't claim I'm one of those people nor will I say that this move will help better EAs name, wouldn't it also mean that part of the EA you all despise is on their way out the door?

Just saying. Some people seem to have this illusion that EA is somehow a living, breathing thing by itself without a shred of humanity in it. Then people get laid off like this and it's instantly: "Oh, poor them. EA is so terrible." while they disregard the fact that those people being laid off were a part of the problem to begin with.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4036d ago
KONAAs4036d ago

u say you feel sorry for their jobs lost, but i bet your one of the people that get mad for the online pass code, the irony

jdaboss4036d ago Show
TheMailman4036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

KONAAs I like your nickname..

DragonKnight4037d ago

What I got from this was...

"Hey, this is what we're going to be doing this year. Yeah, it's super exciting and it's going to be great. Here's the thing... you're not going to be a part of it. But wow is this going to be a great year for us."

And that is in keeping with every single statement every executive at EA has ever made, especially Peter Moore's recent statements surrounding microtransactions, Origin, and when EA was nominated for the worst comapany in America. It's all about them, what they want, and screw everyone else.

Bimkoblerutso4037d ago

Yeah, that would piss me off SO much getting a letter like that.

"Thanks for all your hard work in insuring our continued profitability...now get the HELL out."

NonApplicable4036d ago (Edited 4036d ago )

Try not to be so cynical. Businesses often need to lay people off to sustain themselves.

nukeitall4036d ago

As a business owner, I can say that often times we have to get rid of the bad apples. In addition, if business isn't going to well, that suggest the people involved isn't doing a very good job.

What most "working" people don't get is that, you are only worth what you produce in value back to the company.

It isn't as simple as "I put x hours then I should get paid y amount".

If you do that, you are likely to keep your job a lot longer and advance while your at it.

Now, keep that advice, bookmark this page and when you get successful because of my wisdom, than reward me! :D

Bottom line is, when your own money is on the line, things rapidly change. It happens to everyone, every single time.

It's easy to spend others money, way harder when it is your own!

After all, loosing a job means lost wages....

DragonKnight4036d ago

@NonApplicable: "Try not to be so cynical. Businesses often need to lay people off to sustain themselves."

This is different. EA is being patronizingly insulting. The memo talks about how they'll keep going forward to do amazing things. A person being fired doesn't care about that. They care about where their next pay check is going to be coming from, why they lost their job in the first place, and if it's their fault. But EA doesn't give a damn about that.

@nukeitall: "As a business owner, I can say that often times we have to get rid of the bad apples. In addition, if business isn't going to well, that suggest the people involved isn't doing a very good job."

In EA's case, neither is applicable. And I also take issue with the fact that you claim that if business isn't going well that it suggests that the employees aren't doing a good job. There are many factors that contribute to poor business including, and most often, poor management and business models.

For EA it's a known fact that they over staff. There's no job security in an environment like that with poor management and ridiculously infeasible long term business models.

Bobby Kotex4036d ago

@nukeitall you have no idea why mass layoff happen. It's all about immediate numbers. Laying off the staff will reduce overhead, and show some dollar signs on paper for the investors. More often than not, it hurts the company in the long run. That's why after mass layoffs many companies start hiring back up again the next quarter.

And don't try to compare your mom and pop shop to a large corporation like EA.

nukeitall4036d ago

@DragonKnight:

"There are many factors that contribute to poor business including, and most often, poor management and business models."

So why do you have a poor business model? Because of management? Well, then what is management, but staff!?

A well run company has good staff, and good staff will find a way for a company to survive. A poorly manage company will do the obvious.

Point being, management is also staff!

@Bobby Kotex:

"It's all about immediate numbers. Laying off the staff will reduce overhead, and show some dollar signs on paper for the investors. More often than not, it hurts the company in the long run. That's why after mass layoffs many companies start hiring back up again the next quarter."

It's called pruning, and you lay off the bottom feeders and re-hire fresh and eager new employees.

It generally doesn't hurt the company at all and actually helps. It is only a problem if you are too aggressive.

"And don't try to compare your mom and pop shop to a large corporation like EA."

At this point we are actually a mid-size company now, but our problems aren't much different than a larger corporations division except a lot more responibilities for everyone.

However, you wouldn't know anything about that, because you just assumed things convenient for your argument.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4036d ago
SonyPS44037d ago

I will never work for EA, ever.

OrangePowerz4037d ago

How do you know? Its not that difficult to get a job in QA or maybe he is a designer or programmer?

majiebeast4037d ago

David Jaffe actually started as Q&A tester.

MooseyXTC4036d ago

Glad we could wrap that one up, Sony.

Crazay4037d ago

The gaming industry is in the crapper right now. Digital Extremes is also cutting heads left right and center. I sure hope this trend stops.

Show all comments (69)
300°

Report: Sexual Misconduct Investigation Conducted at EA, Suspects Named and What They Did Revealed

EA senior staff has been investigated for sexual misconduct involving female coworkers, and these said people have been named publicly.

isarai2d ago

Aye just call Phil, i mean he somehow made Bobby Kotick's scandal disappear and gave him a few million dollar high five on the way out.

Cacabunga2d ago

I wonder if it will be censored with some in game ads.

InUrFoxHole1d 4h ago

You think Phil did that? 🤣

MrBaskerville4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Microsoft did, Phil Spencer played a minor part. He instigated the buyout that led to Kotick escaping all his controversies while getting a golden handshake.

Someone on Twitter calculated that the people hired in Tango and Arkane Austin could get a decent salary for roughly 17 years for the money Kotick was paid.

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

EA about to go down like Activision and then Phil saves the day saying.this is good for the industry and consolidation will help create competition. /s.

MrBaskerville4h ago

Then they shutdown Codemasters and studio behind Jedi Survivor.

Atleast they could hardly do much damage that EA hadn't allready done. EA has shut down most of their studios by now.

ravens522d ago

What's up with all these horny creeps. You gon be horny, fine. Just not at work take care of that shit before you go in. Rub one out if you have to. Don't be a creep at all. ESPECIALLY at work. But don't be one AT ALL.

Extermin8or3_2d ago

I mean part of the issue is that things transpired outside of work....

MrBaskerville4h ago

That's the thing he mentioned about not being a creep at all.

KwietStorm_BLM2d ago

You think deviants care where they are? Work sometimes makes it an even better situation for them because they can abuse their power.

mudakoshaka1d 15h ago

Nerds think they are Gods when they are making video games.

NotoriousWhiz2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

"it seems that according to EA, given the events transpired outside of work between two adults, and the fact that once investigation has started that the alleged perpetrators didn’t do it again, the investigation is considered closed. [...] The victim still has to work with the people that harassed her."

Yep, EA is disgusting.

Extermin8or3_2d ago

I mean the fact stuff happened outside of work puts EA in quite a difficult position legally. These women don't seem to have reported the matter to the police which kinda ties EA's hands on what they can do. If they don't file reports of the crimes then yeah from EA's perspective it is stuff that happened outside of work. The only exception is the guy that apparently referenced things in the slack channel for work, spending on what he said proving it may be very hard and he may well be able to get away with plausible deniability. I don't like EA and I think these people need to be dismissed but without any legal action being taken, EA can't really do much without risk of being sued themselves for unfair dismissal etc.

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90°

EA to Spend Billions Boosting Share Prices After Mass Layoffs

EA has announced it will engage in a shareholder-pleasing share buyback program just a couple of months after mass layoffs at the studio.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
Yi-Long5d ago

Well, anything to make those shareholders happy, I guess. They're all that matters in this industry nowadays.

badboyz095d ago (Edited 5d ago )

EA stocks haven't been profitable in over 5yrs. They better hope Take-two don't get the FIFA license lol.

220°

EA Hopes to Use Generative AI to Drive Monetization and Make Development 30% More Efficient

Today Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson provided a look into his ideas for the use of generative AI in the company's development processes.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
thorstein68d ago

I wonder what the next buzz word they'll slap in front of AI to make it sound exciting next? "Generative" as if it's creating its own content. Lol.

Cacabunga68d ago

EA is already dying a painful death..

peppeaccardo68d ago

i have a better idea .. why the whole exec team doesn't get replaced by chat bots ?

just_looken68d ago

Though i agree the ai thing is already in other forms of media there have been ai translations/scripts/voice over and even full ai commercials aired on tv. Ubisoft has created a ai game creator story/vo/music except the building of the game

The new unreal engine has auto terrain creation tools

In the world of greed in which it is winning without any major blow back ai is our future.

everyone want's biden dead on the mic or a criminal instead of a woman and now we are getting ai everything because no one will stop watching/playing ai created media.

GamerRN68d ago

Maybe they should just focus on making good games?

Just a thought...

Kiryu199267d ago

Exactly EA are just pure evil. When they are beating Bank of America to be voted the worst company to work for that’s saying a lot

Good thing I don’t buy their games day one and wait for deep deep sale years after launch (the select few games I am actually interested in)

Gaming is making so much money yet the greed of these companies is never ending

CEO’s and people on board making millions yet cutting jobs to those who are actually making the products

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 67d ago
Knightofelemia68d ago (Edited 68d ago )

EA is still a shady shitty company even with or without the help of Skynet. All they will use AI for is new ways to milk loot boxes and come up with the same sports title with a different year on the label. They are one company I truly do hate with a passion. They single handedly ruined some great franchise with their death touch. ME, Dead Space, Alice Returns, Dante's Inferno.

Stuart575668d ago

EA layoffs followed by 'Generative AI to Drive Monetization'

I knew it. Wonder what AI salary looks like? Nothing.

ChasterMies68d ago

I having a feeling that most of the layoffs in the industry are based on the idea that AI will do the same job for less.

DarXyde67d ago

Very likely, yes.

Made worse by the fact that the execs aren't changing their compensations.

My deepest fear at this point is that we are now in the capitalism endgame.

At this point, we really should just burn AI to the ground. Executives cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
How are those people expected to support families if everything gets automated?

Barlos68d ago (Edited 68d ago )

And take away creativity, and people's jobs as we've been seeing. Got it.

No thanks. I want my games created by people, not AI.

CobraKai68d ago

Exactly. If or when games start becoming more AI than people, im done with gaming. AI and companies like EA can suck donkey d***k.

just_looken68d ago

Though i agree remember this is no ps3/360 era were we got up to 3 games in one generation from on developer like gears/halo/bioware/sony/ms

The people today are pro esg/sweet baby for the most part AAA gaming is imploding right now.

We should be stepping back re evaluate everything as a whole this year xmen 97 written/directed by a woman that is nuts and its also being made by a group reshaping bodies to be less sexual like wtf. A dam famous cartoon from the 90's is being rebuilt with millions spent to be worse in everyway.

Gaming/movies/tv shows made today are worse than what we had 7years ago ai won't change this but that ai is also being made by these groups so either way we are screwed.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Eonjay67d ago

Don't be of afraid of women. Sexy characters in games and movies still exist. Got my Stellar Blade on preorder!!! Everything all the time doesn't need to be sexual...that's stupid, childish and dull.

Chocoburger68d ago (Edited 68d ago )

EA doesn't want to lose their title of worst gaming company ever, always trying their best to remain the champs!
What's sad is that they have so much potential to be a decent publisher.

SSX Tricky / SSX 3
Def Jam Vendetta / Fight for New York
NBA Street
NFL Steet
Mirror's Edge
Bad Company
Burnout 3 / 4 / 5

Remember when EA used to be awesome? It's all over with now. Unpolished, if not out-right broken games these days. Endless monetization and gambling in their sports games, and let's not forget wasting hours of your life trying to unlock characters or equipment using "surprise boxes!"

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