Respawn’s ‘Star Wars’ First Person Shooter Video Game is Cancelled
Well, it turns out that Respawn Entertainment’s rumored Star Wars first person shooter (FPS) video game was in fact real, but it won’t be seeing the light of day after all.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the game was still going ahead after losing its creative director and would be centered around a Mandalorian bounty hunter. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Respawn’s first person shooter was originally announced back in 2022.
The gaming industry has been beset by cuts and redundancies for over a year now, and 2024 has shown no signs of slowing down. IGN has reported EA’s announcement today that they too are letting go 670 employees (5% of its workforce, and it already laid off 6% of it a year ago) across its various development studios. The video game publisher is doing a reorganization and adjusting its business priorities as a result, and Respawn Entertainment is one of the studios affected.
As if it wasn’t sad enough that more people are losing their jobs across the industry, EA have decided to cancel Respawn’s long rumored Star Wars FPS game — which was still in the early development stage — and focus on existing games and IP instead. This does mean that work will continue on the third game in the Star Wars Jedi series, as it was listed among the franchises that EA have confirmed it will focus on, but it’s sad news regardless.
EA Entertainment President Laura Miele shared a note with staff members about the cancelled games, explaining the decision to focus on existing franchises instead:
It’s always hard to walk away from a project, and this decision is not a reflection of the team’s talent, tenacity, or passion they have for the game. Giving fans the next installments of the iconic franchises they want is the definition of blockbuster storytelling and the right place to focus.
It’s not lost on me that these changes are more than words on a page; they directly impact the work you do every day and, in some cases, mean we are eliminating roles and saying goodbye to talented colleagues. I will never lose sight of the human impact of these decisions, and know that change and disruption aren’t easy. In difficult moments, we must remember how important it is to show up for our players and for each other.
It’s unlikely that this will be the last we hear about layoffs in the video game industry, but we can only hope that Respawn and other developers are given time to breathe now and can find some stability amid this awful trend afflicting every studio right now.
Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
