In a shocking move, Electronic Arts (EA) has reportedly laid off its entire quality assurance testing team for Apex Legends, the popular battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment. The company allegedly informed the approximately 200 contractors of their termination during an unscheduled Zoom meeting on Tuesday morning.

According to sources, the affected employees, who mainly worked on Apex Legends, were offered only a 60-day severance package, which is shorter than the length of many of their contracts.

This unexpected move follows EA’s recent announcement of its global strategy to expand the Apex Legends testing team and end the concentrated testing execution in Louisiana, where the affected team was located. The company claims that remote playtesters from different parts of the world will increase efficiency, improve the game, and strengthen relationships with players.

Multiple employees have claimed that there were no indications prior to the layoffs, leaving them blindsided. In addition, some employees reported that they were not even allowed to enter the office without security escort to collect their personal belongings.

These layoffs are part of a larger trend for EA, including the closure of Apex Legends Mobile, the cancellation of Battlefield Mobile before its official release, and the shutting down of Industrial Toys, a game development studio. There are also reports of the cancellation of an unannounced Titanfall game, which was supposed to be a single-player experience for Apex Legends.

Source: VideoGameChronicles