EA sets aside $20m for layoffs

EA has set aside $23 million for upcoming layoffs this year, it has revealed.

As reported by Joystiq, the large sum will be for “severance and other employee-related costs”, and will be part of a wider $40 million in expenses related to upcoming restructuring plans.

The move is part of a wider scheme to move the publisher into digital and become less reliant on console.

The company revealed in a conference call on the matter however that despite upcoming layoffs and restructuring, it expected to increase its total staff headcount from 9,200 to around 9,700 by March next year.

The news of expected layoffs comes after reports last month suggested EA was set to axe as many as 1,000 jobs.