Electronic Art (EA), the video games company behind EA Sports, has announced it will lay off 5% of its workforce, cutting around 670 people, as well as cancelling its upcoming Star Wars game.

Just last December, EA also announced it would lay off UK workers at Codemasters, the development team known for EA Sports WRC.

CEO Andrew Wilson said in a letter to staff that the company is “moving away from the development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry,” as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

“This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation, and double down on our biggest opportunities — including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities — to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow,” he rationalised.

As for the layoffs, Wilson claimed that EA’s leadership looked into all viable options to avoid impacting their team, but the process of laying off around 670 workers will be mostly completed by next quarter.

The layoffs are just one part of the company’s restructuring initiatives, as EA plans to close offices and abandon other games.

While the tech industry continues to face round after round of layoffs, the games industry is also affected.

Recommended reading

• Amazon Games Division Slashes More Jobs in Latest Round of Cuts
• “League of Legends” Developer Riot Games to Lay Off About 11% of Staff
• UK Tech Sector Confidence Rises Despite Big Tech Layoffs

This is the latest round of layoffs to affect EA itself, as just last March is cut 6% of its workforce.

Just this January, Microsoft cut a whopping 1,900 people from its gaming department. Further, Riot Games laid off 11% of its workforce near the start of this year.