EA Visceral Hit With ‘Small’ Round of Layoffs

The studio behind Dead Space, the recent Battlefield Hardline and an upcoming Star Wars title we know nothing about yet has experienced a round of layoffs that parent company Electronic Arts is calling a "small staffing change."

Game Informer reports that when asked the reason behind the layoffs, EA explained they were in an effort to "support the needs of the studio's two current development priorities: content for Battlefield Hardline Premium and an unannounced Star Wars project." The company stressed in the response to the magazine that they "are working to ensure the smoothest transition possible for the impacted employees."

There's no official word yet on how many employees were affected by the changes at Visceral, which come despite EA saying they're "very happy" with the overall sales performance of Battlefield Hardline since its March release. We also don't know how the layoff will affect the upcoming Star Wars title, though we do know that Naughty Dog transplant Amy Hennig and actor Todd Stashwick, both of whom are working on the game, are not affected by the staffing change.

Layoffs are never a good thing, and we hope for a quick and easy landing for everyone involved, but the lack of specifics in this report is worrisome. What is "small" to EA? Ten people? 50 people? When you employ as many workers as Electronic Arts does, "small" could even be 200. We hope that EA changes their stance and reveals just how many employees have been released, if only so we can figure out if all is well at Visceral Games.