Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Developer Says Morale at Respawn Entertainment is at an “All-Time Low”

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Recently, both “Black Panther” and Cliffhanger Games, where Patrick Wren, a senior encounter designer for “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” worked, have faced closures. Taking to the social media platform BlueSky, Wren shared that spirits at Respawn Entertainment are currently quite down.

In a brief comment, he expressed his feelings about the cancellation of Black Panther by saying, “Mood is at its worst.” He added, “That’s all I can share for now.

It seems Wren’s comment may be related to the fact that EA has terminated multiple projects that were being developed at Respawn Entertainment, and these projects were apparently referred to as “incubation projects.” This suggests that these games were probably still in their initial stages of development when they were eventually scrapped.

In April, it was disclosed that Electronic Arts (EA) was terminating the jobs of approximately 300 employees across its different branches, including some from Respawn Studios. The studio then confirmed that two projects under development had been scrapped – one of these projects, which was whispered to be a multiplayer shooter based in the Titanfall universe, and another project known as R7. It’s said that around 100 employees affected by the layoffs were members of Respawn Entertainment staff.

In a recent announcement regarding downsizing, Electronic Arts (EA) expressed that we are prioritizing the wellbeing of our team members. We’re making every effort to lessen the impact by assisting those affected in finding potential new roles within our company and offering support during this transitional period.

It’s said that a multiplayer shooter development project, which had been under wraps, was apparently scrapped in March, as suggested by a former team member. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, this individual shared, “The secretive game project I’ve been working on for the past year has been terminated this week. Now, I find myself among many skilled and gracious professionals within the gaming sector who are actively seeking new opportunities.

Information surfaced earlier today regarding Electronic Arts (EA) terminating the production of Black Panther and closing down Cliffhanger Games. In a company-wide email, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele confirmed these decisions, which included redundancies among staff members.

Miele expressed that these choices are challenging as they impact individuals who we’ve collaborated with, learned from, and created memories with. We’re making every effort to assist them, even going so far as to identify potential opportunities within EA, where we’ve previously aided people in transitioning to new positions.

Given the circumstances, those who worked on the “Black Panther” video games shared their experiences and memories of working on the project on social media. They also expressed regret that a larger audience would miss out on an “innovative and unique” gaming experience that was being developed.

Karla Ortiz expressed in a social media post that she was part of an outstanding team working on an extraordinary and breathtaking game. She described it as intricate, vibrant, and beautiful. However, she lamented that the world may not get to experience it due to its cancellation. Additionally, she shared her sadness at bidding farewell to her teammates, stating it was a privilege to work alongside them. She found this day particularly sad.

Morale has been at an all-time low. I can say that much.

— Patrick Wren (@witdarkstar.bsky.social) 2025-05-28T18:47:18.116Z

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2025-05-29 16:41