Skate Studio Also Hit With Cuts as Scope of EA's Mass Layoffs Becomes Clearer

Following the announcement that EA is closing down Mass Effect developer BioWare, staff at the studio behind the latest Skate game have also reported suffering layoffs.

The live-service skating game was briefly mentioned as an ongoing active project in the memo EA sent to staff about the dramatic cuts, but an undetermined number of Skate developers said they had been let go from the studio behind it, Full Circle.

Seasonal creative director, John Epler, wrote on LinkedIn (via VGC): “Well, as of today, my role at Full Circle has been eliminated. Coming up on my 19 year anniversary in the industry — and all of that time spent at EA — I can’t say I’m sad. A little nervous, definitely, but I’m looking forward to doing something new.”

Senior game designer Adam Martinazzi also confirmed his departure. “I, like many of the other talented people at Full Circle, was let go today,” he said. …