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EA's Canadian studios hit by layoffs - Report

EA Canada, Black Box reportedly see NBA Elite, Skate development teams cut; up to 100 may have been pink-slipped; EA admits "season roll-offs" of payroll.

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Today was apparently a dark day at Electronic Arts' two Vancouver-based studios. According to a Shacknews report, both EA Canada and EA Black Box have been hit by layoffs. Specifically, the teams behind the Skate franchise and the long-delayed NBA Elite 11 were both hit, with sources saying "as many as 100 employees" were sent packing.

EA's Canadian workforce may have been downsized today.
EA's Canadian workforce may have been downsized today.

When contacted by GameSpot, an EA spokesperson would only confirm there had been layoffs today but would not say at which studios or give a number of staff reductions.

"As you know, seasonal roll-offs that follow game launches are common and vital to maintaining a healthy business," the rep said. "Because so many of our games ship in the holiday quarter, the team size adjustments tend to follow in the same time frame. However EA is growing, and several of our studios are looking to hire talented people."

If Black Box was involved, the layoffs would be just the latest in a round of cuts at the developer. In December 2008, the studio was "consolidated" into EA Canada after EA shut down the studio's satellite campus. It was hit again by layoffs just a month later in January 2009 as part of a series of wider payroll cuts across the EA internal studio structure.

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