Electronic Arts recently laid off 5% of its global workforce in a restructuring program that will see the developer and publisher focus more on its proprietary games and the communities built around them. At that time, it was also reported that a Star Wars FPS was canceled. The developer of the Star Wars shooter has countered the claims through a message posted on X.
“Last week was difficult for the industry, and more so because of our strong relationships within the other teams at Respawn,” wrote Bit Reactor on X, an independent game studio working on a new AAA title set in the legendary Star Wars universe. “But for those asking, we are still hard at work and our game was unaffected by last week’s news”.
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When the company shared the news on Saturday, March 2, 2024, an X user with the handle @AlexEmmett123 asked, “When will we get the first look at your game”. In response, Bit Reactor said, “As soon as it’s ready”.
As soon as it's ready…
— BIT REACTOR (@bitreactor) March 2, 2024
During the layoff announcement last month, Electronic Arts president Laura Miele said that after an internal review, Electronic Arts has decided that Respawn Entertainment will focus on the Apex Legends and Jedi series.
“Respawn’s unique ability to connect with players and create exceptional game experiences is unrivaled in entertainment,” Miele said in a statement. “As we’ve looked at Respawn’s portfolio over the last few months, what’s clear is the games our players are most excited about are Jedi and Respawn’s rich library of owned brands.”
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“Knowing this, we have decided to pivot away from early development on a Star Wars FPS Action game to focus our efforts on new projects based on our owned brands while providing support for existing games. It’s always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game. Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.”
The canceled Star Wars game at Respawn Entertainment was announced in 2022
The canceled first-person shooter Star Wars in development at Respawn Entertainment was announced in 2022. The project was believed to be headed by Peter Hirschmann, the co-creator of Medal of Honor and former LucasArts veteran. Hirschmann has previously worked on the original Battlefront games, The Force Unleashed, and others.
The statement from Bit Reactor appears to contradict the statement earlier made by Miele during the layoff announcement. It also suggested that the Star Wars in Miele’s statement may be different from the Star Wars project that Bit Reactor was working on.
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Bit Reactor has worked on several high-profile titles including Elder Scrolls Online, Gears of War, Civilization, and Xcom. The studio has earned the highest accolades in the game industry including BAFTA and Game of the Year.
“Now with our independent studio, we are taking our imagination to new heights working with the brightest minds and the most passionate creators,” the studio said on its website. “We want to give back, experiment, discover, learn, and grow together.”
Bit Reactor encourages diversity and said, “Diversity of thoughts is what drives our creativity”. The studio currently has 25 open positions across art, audio, design, and engineering, including character modeling, environment art lead, senior character artist, animation engineer, game design, and so on.
We strongly encourage those who may have been impacted by the recent wave of layoffs across the industry to give them a shot. The location of all the open roles is Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA. As the Hunger Games franchise would say, “May the odds be in your favor”.
