Yesterday, EA reported mass layoffs that saw 350 people’s jobs affected. At the time, EA mentioned people in the publishing and marketing departments would be affected, as well as EA’s Russia and Japan operations. That said, I don’t think anyone expected that EA’s Japanese operations would be closed down completely—which they now are.
Famitsu reported today that EA Japan is completely closed down, which EA has subsequently confirmed to GamesIndustry. In a statement, EA maintained that it still sees Japan as an important market—I guess they will be partnering locally with Sony, or some other publisher, to release their games in the country now, much like Activision does.
Russian media site Kanobu reports that EA’s Moscow office in Russia has also shut down, with EA’s Eastern European office handling Russian operations for now. So at least there, we know how EA plans to handle its products in the Russian market going forward.
Hopefully, everyone affected can land on their feet as soon as possible.
