It appears Electronic Arts has shut the doors of Pandemic, and in doing so, some 200 employees have lost their jobs. Kotaku reports that an internal memo from EA has confirmed the studio was shut down today with a “core IP team” being relocated to Electronic Arts’ Los Angeles office.
"I want to make it clear that the Pandemic brand and franchises will live on," Nick Earl, EA games label senior vice president, wrote in the memo. "In the months ahead, we will announce plans for new games based on Pandemic franchises.
"This type of change can be difficult. But the situation calls for us to act decisively, to take control of our destiny and to run a stronger, more focused development operation. That's how we will continue to make great games in our LA studios."
Key employees were laid off, including former CEO Andrew Goldman, former president Josh Resnick, and form VP of product development Greg Borrud. The studio started in 1998 and was purchased by EA in 2007 after successful releases of Full Spectrum Warrior, Star Wars: Battlefront, and Mercenaries.
Pandemic was working on the World War II era sandbox title The Saboteur, with a 2010 release date on multiple platforms. It’s unclear at this time how the closure will impact the game’s release.
