Dev of one of EA's biggest new games is laying off workers and "transforming as a studio" — "we’re committed to supporting them through this transition"

Developer Full Circle — a studio formed by publisher Electronic Arts (EA) to lead the creation of a new Skate game that eventually became 2025's free-to-play live-service Xbox, PC and PlayStation title skate. — announced on Wednesday afternoon that "some roles will be impacted" at the studio, signaling layoffs.

The cuts come as Full Circle says it's "transforming as a studio" and "reshaping Full Circle to better support skate.’s long-term future and focus the team on the things that matter most to you [players]." Here's the statement the developers made in a new blog post:

"Since launching Early Access in September, tens of millions of you have stepped into San Vansterdam. Your passion, creativity, and feedback have reinforced our belief in what skate. can become. As skate. continues to evolve, we’re transforming as a studio. We’re reshaping Full Circle to better support skate.’s long-term future and focus the team on the things that matter most to you — and making those things great," the studio wrote.

"These shifts mean making changes to our team structure, and some roles will be impacted. The teammates affected are talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of skate. Their creativity and dedication are deeply ingrained in what players experience today," it continued. "This decision is not a reflection of their impact and we’re committed to supporting them through this transition."

Full Circle then went on to confirm that development of skate. will continue, with the team vowing to "move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently for all of you."

"Our work on skate. continues. We look forward to working with you as we move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently for all of you. Our commitment to skate., and to the millions of players who believe in it, remains strong," it added.

"To our departing teammates: thank you. skate. exists because of your hard work and dedication to the craft. To our community: thank you for your passion and trust."

It's good that EA and Full Circle are supporting the affected developers in the wake of these layoffs — hopefully they can land in other positions within the publisher or in its other game studios — but it's extremely unfortunate that the cuts came in the first place. They're yet another wave of discharges in a series of brutal video game industry layoffs that have remained ongoing for nearly four years now.

It's important to note that skate. has been met with quite a mixed overall reception despite how highly anticipated a "Skate 4" was by fans of EA's skateboarding franchise. Though many enjoy the open-world multiplayer nature of skate.'s gameplay, it's been criticized for its aggressive microtransactions and its slow updates that have done little to add content or fix major issues.

The developers say its new transformation will help it create content and act on feedback faster, so I suppose we'll have to wait and see if that actually comes true or not. Only time will tell, of course. As for everyone affected by the layoffs, I wish you the best of luck and hope you're able to land on your feet.

What do you think of skate.?

What's your opinion of skate.? Have you played it? If so, do you think it's good enough to represent the future of the Skate series, or should EA go back to the drawing board and make a new game instead? Let me know.

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