Star Wars Jedi Developer Morale is Reportedly at an ‘All-Time Low’

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Summary

  • Morale at Respawn Entertainment is reportedly at an all-time low due to game cancellations and layoffs.
  • Respawn is still working on the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
  • The next Star Wars game promises to raise the bar for storytelling and gameplay.

A high-level team member from Respawn Entertainment, creators of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, has voiced concerns about a dip in company spirit following the cancelation of a game and the shuttering of studios by parent company EA. As the team is now focusing on a new installment in the Star Wars Jedi series, which will be the third game, fans are keeping their fingers crossed that this decline in morale won’t impact the quality of the upcoming game.

In December 2017, Electronic Arts (EA) purchased Respawn Entertainment, with the studio heavily invested in the Titanfall series at that time. Since then, Respawn has taken charge of the popular Star Wars Jedi action-adventure games and introduced Apex Legends, a successful battle royale hero shooter game released in 2019. Even as far back as 2025, Apex Legends still attracted around 200,000 players at its peak.

This week, Electronic Arts (EA) called off their Black Panther game project and shut down its development studio, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a series of layoffs affecting fewer than 300 workers. This news left Patrick Wren, a senior encounter designer at Respawn Entertainment, with a heavy heart. Expressing his feelings on Bluesky, he stated briefly that morale among video game developers had hit an “all-time low.” In a separate post on his own Bluesky feed, Wren expressed sympathy for everyone in the industry who simply wants to create exciting video games, and later clarified that this sentiment was prompted by EA’s closure of Cliffhanger Games.

Respawn Entertainment’s Morale is Reportedly Bottoming Out

Morale has been at an all-time low. I can say that much. — Patrick Wren (@witdarkstar.bsky.social) 2025-05-28T18:47:18.116Z

More recently, Wren expressed empathy towards the ex-employees of a shuttered sister studio, Respawn Entertainment. Earlier this year, Respawn itself underwent layoffs, with estimates suggesting around 100 employees were let go in late April. These cuts came as a result of two video game projects being terminated. The games, which had not yet been publicly announced, were apparently still in their early stages of development. One was intended to be a multiplayer first-person-shooter, while details on the other aborted project remain vague.

As a passionate fan, I must admit that the recent job cuts at various EA developers have left me feeling a bit uneasy. However, a glimmer of hope shone through when it was confirmed that Respawn Entertainment is still hard at work on the next Star Wars Jedi game. In an effort to reassure fans, they posted a message on Twitter, hinting that this game will once again push the boundaries for both storytelling and gameplay.

Additionally, they shared exciting news about Apex Legends, suggesting that new creative seasons are in the works, as well as the expansion of its in-game systems. This post certainly eased some worries and sparked anticipation for what’s to come!

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2025-05-30 20:35