{"id":1188539,"date":"2026-02-16T18:29:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T18:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/RsyxxY2y7WPDv7eiiQcYt4"},"modified":"2026-02-16T18:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T18:29:30","slug":"apex-legends-writer-gets-laid-off-24-hours-after-the-character-she-wrote-is-revealed-because-thats-what-the-games-industry-in-2025-looks-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/apex-legends-writer-gets-laid-off-24-hours-after-the-character-she-wrote-is-revealed-because-thats-what-the-games-industry-in-2025-looks-like\/","title":{"rendered":"Apex Legends writer gets laid off 24 hours after the character she wrote is revealed, because that’s what the games industry in 2025 looks like"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EA has laid off hundreds of employees\u2014reportedly around 300 to 400<\/a>\u2014across its studios, including around 100 at Respawn Entertainment, developers of Titanfall and Apex Legends. Among the many developers left scrambling in an industry where this has become shockingly routine, one in particular leapt out.<\/p>\n

Heather Woodward, a now-former narrative designer at Respawn, was laid off a literal day after the character she’d spent a whole year writing debuted. On April 28, Apex Legends introduced a new character by the name of Prodigy:<\/p>\n

“My first born is finally here,” Woodward posted to Bluesky<\/a>. “I\u2019ve been working on this sweet ragazzo for well over a year. Writing a music video style trailer was a tough but rewarding challenge and I can\u2019t believe I get to see my work animated by the incredible team at Sun Creature.”<\/p>\n

Then, on April 29, the layoffs hit and Woodward discovered she’d been caught in the wave of sacrifices to the altar of growth<\/a>: “Well, this is awkward but\u2026 I was just mass-downsized at Respawn. These things happen and my time with Apex has been a top to bottom blast, my favorite job I\u2019ve ever had. It\u2019s been a true joy to write Sparrow, I\u2019ll continue to be insufferable about him for weeks to come.”<\/p>\n

As if to properly hammer a final, capricious nail into a coffin, Woodward was then sent a promotional email for the character she wrote before she was promptly shown the door<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Woodward appears to be taking this on the chin in a way that’s downright enviable\u2014but it really does feel like a perfect nutshell of how messed up and unsustainable this industry has become. There’s just zero guarantee of anything, anymore. Let’s take a look at the reasons why you might get laid off while working on a game, shall we?<\/p>\n