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PopCap Suffers A New Round Of Layoffs
Update: Following the news of PopCap layoffs, we further inquired into the details surrounding the cuts. EA has decided not to share the number of employees affected, but has confirmed to Game Informer that the PopCap HD studio is not affected.
Original Story:
Reports are coming in that PopCap is the latest EA studio to suffer layoffs. The news comes after the studio split itself into two teams at the end of February, with one handling mobile and the other handling console releases.
The studio’s most recent release, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, released to mixed critical response (our review). “The changes we made today at PopCap were painful and we’re sorry to lose some of our friends and colleagues,” studio general manager John Vechey said in a statement via email. “But it was also necessary in order to stay on course with our future plans for mobile games, live services, and new IP. PopCap is a studio that made its name building great games that the world can fall in love with, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.” EA did not comment on how many employees are affected.
EA reported lower than expected third quarter performance, resulting in a decreased outlook for the fiscal year ending on March 31. Retail sales were down, and though digital increased, it was not enough to offset the losses.
Our Take
Our thoughts go out to those affected by today’s layoffs.
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