Latest news with #StarWarsJedi
Engadget
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
EA cancels Black Panther game and closes studio developing it
EA is cancelling its Black Panther game and closing the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a larger round of layoffs at the company, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure game was originally announced in July 2023 as one of several Marvel projects being developed at EA studios. IGN writes that a smaller number of people are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, but EA is still eliminating roles outside of Cliffhanger, including people on the publisher's "mobile and central teams." EA is reportedly telling staff that the layoffs are a way to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities." As of right now, those "opportunities" include an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive, the next Star Wars Jedi game from Respawn, and new entries in a few key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Beyond that, the company has EA Sports and the next Mass Effect game, though Bioware has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there's uncertainty there, too. In a similar way to how it approached Bioware's restructuring, IGN reports that EA is trying to find roles for at least some Cliffhanger Games staff in other parts of the company. Engadget has contacted EA for comment and will update this article if we hear back. EA growing disinterest in licensed games as been public since at least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company was "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry." The company recently announced a new strategy game using the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — but that seems more like an outlier than the norm. EA's Black Panther game wasn't the only project featuring the character — Amy Hennig's Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn't been cancelled yet — but it does seems strange the company gave up so easily. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion during its original run in theaters. It seems entirely possible the same audience that enjoyed the movie would show up for a new game featuring their favorite Marvel character.
The Star
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Trump's White House creates own media universe
Trump caused controversy after his Truth Social account posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal garb on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. — Reuters WASHINGTON: From influencer-only briefings to memes of Donald Trump as the pope and a Star Wars Jedi master, the White House is creating its own alternate media reality. Since Trump's return to the US presidency in January, his team has given right-wing "new media" an increasingly prominent place as it steps up its war on the traditional press. But now the White House is going a step further, effectively creating its own government-run media operation to stoke up Trump's loyal base. Last week Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held three alternative briefings reserved for a hand-picked group of partisan outlets. These "new media" sessions exist in a parallel universe from the traditional White House briefings, and are held in a special auditorium across the road that reporters cannot access freely. "I absolutely agree with the premise of your question – which I usually don't when I take questions at a podium," Leavitt told right-wing activist Jack Posobiec at a briefing on April 30. Another question came from Dom Lucre, a proponent of the QAnon right-wing conspiracy theory. "Is there any possibility for names such as Barack Hussein Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton to ever just possibly get investigated?" Lucre asked Leavitt. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on its strategy. 'Echo chamber' Former reality TV star Trump and his team have had a strong social media game since his first presidency from 2017-2021. Then during his 2024 election campaign he reached out to podcasters and influencers, inspired partly by his 19-year-old son Barron. But the new approach is taking that campaign strategy and putting it at the heart of the US government's communications operation. News outlet Axios underscored the new strategy, saying that now "Trump's White House is the hottest right-wing media outlet." That risked creating an "echo chamber," said Sonia Gipson Rankin, a law professor at the University of New Mexico. Rankin said Trump's unique use of social media, AI images and "direct appeals through partisan influencers" had "created a space of alternate versions of events where governance is not tethered to reality." "In a second term, the concern is that this echo chamber could become even more insulated," she told AFP. Last week also saw the launch of the "White House Wire" – a website designed to look like the low-tech "Drudge Report" but with links to favourable stories and the administration's social media. "Give a middle finger to the fake news and check out WH Wire!!!!" Trump's son Don Jr said on X with a link. It came as the White House reduces access for several mainstream news wires – most notably The Associated Press, following a clash over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico by Trump's designated name, the "Gulf of America." The White House has also taken control of deciding which outlets are in the "press pool" that covers some presidential events in close quarters like the Oval Office or Air Force One. Light saber The White House is meanwhile leaning more and more on provocative memes to fire up Trump's supporters and "own the libs" – gaining attention by angering his "liberal" and left-wing opponents. Trump caused controversy after his Truth Social account posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal garb on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. But while Trump insisted that he hadn't posted the meme himself, he also said that his wife Melania thought it was "cute" and rejected any criticism. "They can't take a joke," Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about the pope image. Then on Sunday the White House's official account posted an image of a muscle-bound Trump wielding a light saber to mark "May the Fourth" day – when Star Wars fans celebrate in a riff on the movie's catchphrase "May The Force be with you." "You're not the Rebellion – you're the Empire," the post said, attacking Trump's left-wing rivals and comparing them to evil imperial forces of Darth Vader and others. There was just one problem, US media said. Trump's light saber was red – and in the Star Wars universe that suggests he is aligned with the Dark Side of The Force. – AFP
American Military News
02-05-2025
- Business
- American Military News
Electronic Arts lays off hundreds of workers in latest round of cuts
Electronic Arts, the global video game company, is slashing its workforce again. The company, based in Redwood City, Calif., has eliminated several hundred positions, including about 100 jobs at Respawn, a video game development studio based in Los Angeles. 'As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we've made select changes within our organization that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth,' said Justin Higgs, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, in a statement. The company, which has a large office in Marina del Rey, is helping employees explore new roles internally and providing support to affected workers, he added. Bloomberg first reported the cuts, saying they affected between 300 and 400 people, citing a person familiar with the cuts. The layoffs are the latest to hit Electronic Arts, which had about 13,700 employees as of March 2024. The company in 2024 said it would cut about 5% of its workforce after announcing a similar cut a year earlier. Electronic Arts has offices in California but also has workers across Europe and Asia. Respawn, the studio behind popular games 'Apex Legends' and 'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,' has a big presence in Los Angeles but also opened studios in Canada and Wisconsin. Respawn canceled the development of a 'Titanfall' game that wasn't close to being released, Bloomberg reported. The Titanfall franchise includes a series of first-person shooter games. The company said in a statement this week on social media that it 'made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi.' 'These decisions are not easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected,' Respawn said in the statement. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Los Angeles Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Electronic Arts lays off hundreds of workers in latest round of cuts
Electronic Arts, the global video game company, is slashing its workforce again. The company, based in Redwood City, Calif., has eliminated several hundred positions, including about 100 jobs at Respawn, a video game development studio based in Los Angeles. 'As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we've made select changes within our organization that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth,' said Justin Higgs, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, in a statement. The company, which has a large office in Marina del Rey, is helping employees explore new roles internally and providing support to affected workers, he added. Bloomberg first reported the cuts, saying they affected between 300 and 400 people, citing a person familiar with the cuts. The layoffs are the latest to hit Electronic Arts, which had about 13,700 employees as of March 2024. The company in 2024 said it would cut about 5% of its workforce after announcing a similar cut a year earlier. Electronic Arts has offices in California but also has workers across Europe and Asia. Respawn, the studio behind popular games 'Apex Legends' and 'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,' has a big presence in Los Angeles but also opened studios in Canada and Wisconsin. Respawn canceled the development of a 'Titanfall' game that wasn't close to being released, Bloomberg reported. The Titanfall franchise includes a series of first-person shooter games. The company said in a statement this week on social media that it 'made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments across Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi.' 'These decisions are not easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected,' Respawn said in the statement.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Electronic Arts Lays Off Hundreds, Cancels ‘Titanfall' Game
(Bloomberg) -- Electronic Arts Inc. is laying off hundreds of workers and canceling a Titanfall game that was in development at its Respawn Entertainment subsidiary. New York City Transit System Chips Away at Subway Fare Evasion NYC's Congestion Toll Raised $159 Million in the First Quarter The Last Thing US Transit Agencies Should Do Now At Bryn Mawr, a Monumental Plaza Traces the Steps of Black History NYC Lost $9 Billion of Income to Miami, Palm Beach in Five Years Between 300 and 400 positions were eliminated, including around 100 at Respawn, according to a person familiar with the cuts. The company had about 13,700 employees at the end of March 2024. 'As part of our continued focus on our long-term strategic priorities, we've made select changes within our organization that more effectively aligns teams and allocates resources in service of driving future growth,' Justin Higgs, a spokesman for the Redwood City, California-based company, said in a statement. The canceled project, code-named R7, was an extraction shooter set in the Titanfall universe, according to people familiar with its development. It was not close to being released. In a post on social media, Respawn said it "made the decision to step away from two early-stage incubation projects and make some targeted team adjustments.' The other project referenced in the statement was canceled earlier this year, the people is known for the Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi titles, and the company said it would continue working on the next Jedi game as well as new seasons and an overhaul for Apex Legends. Earlier this year, EA reduced its bookings estimate for the fiscal year following the miss of its latest soccer game, EA Sports FC 25. The company alsoshrunk subsidiary BioWare following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which it said missed sales expectations by 50%. Electronic Arts said it would cut about 5% of its workforce in February 2024 and roughly 6% of its workforce in March 2023. (Updates with size of company's workforce in second paragraph and history of earlier job cuts.) Made-in-USA Wheelbarrows Promoted by Trump Are Now Made in China As More Women Lift Weights, Gyms Might Never Be the Same Why US Men Think College Isn't Worth It Anymore Eight Charts Show Men Are Falling Behind, From Classrooms to Careers The Mastermind of the Yellowstone Universe Isn't Done Yet ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
