Report: EA closes PopCap Vancouver and Quicklime

Employees at PopCap Vancouver and Quicklime have said EA has closed both studios as part of company-wide restructurubg at the publisher.

News the company was closing EA Partners already signalled stormy waters, but throughout the day various reports show the cutbacks haven’t stopped there.

EA already acknowledged a number of layoffs had hit its Montreal studio, but said the figure of 200-250 given by one source was too high.

Now employees have taken to Twitter with the news the publisher has closed two of its Vancouver studios.

"PopCap Vancouver, makers of Hidden Object games officially closed. Outta work again," said one employee.

A worker at Quicklime said his studio had been shut down as well, and all employees laid off.

Sources have told Polygon the layoffs are affecting "a lot" of workers across the entire company, and suggested the total number could be somewhere in the hundreds.

Though EA has confirmed "organisational" changes, it did not provide any specifics.

"In recent weeks, EA has aligned all elements of its organizational structure behind priorities in new technologies and mobile," read a company statement.

"This has led to some difficult decisions to reduce the workforce in some locations. We are extremely grateful for the contributions made by each of our employees – those that are leaving EA will be missed by their colleagues and friends."

"These are hard but essential changes as we focus on delivering great games and showing players around the world why to spend their time with us."

This is just the latest in a series of changes at EA.

Earlier in the month the company announced layoffs at its Montreal office totalling somewhere below the rumored figure of 200-250.

EA also cut jobs at Playfish, and has let go some 50 workers from its Hyderabad office in India.