EA Confirms Respawn-DICE Collaboration; Variety Reports Project Is Star Wars Battlefront 3

Variety reported that EA president and chief studio officer Cam Weber and president and COO David Tinson confirmed the publisher is leaning further into live-service online games after the success of Battlefield 6. The executives said Battlefield 6 was "a great success, and we learned a lot from the launch and the live service" and that alongside more Battlefield titles, "we’ll be bringing together our Respawn and DICE studios to collaborate on a future project." EA did not specify what that project is.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched in 2017, but live-service support ended in 2020, leaving the online multiplayer game without further content updates. The series had been thought to be on ice. Recent reports had claimed a new Battlefront game was to be developed at DICE alongside Destiny developer Bungie.

The confirmation came as EA announced a broad restructuring across its studios and projects. The plan includes 400 layoffs across all studios and the permanent shutdown of BioWare, the studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect. About 50 people were laid off from BioWare, and work on Mass Effect 5 was canceled. Former BioWare cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal said Mass Effect 5 would have offered "a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match."

EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners in September 2025, but the deal was not officially closed until August 2026. The restructuring is the publisher’s first major move since the deal closed.

Beyond the Respawn and DICE project, EA plans to invest heavily in the Apex Legends franchise over the next few years, with new multiplayer modes and other content. It has committed to delivering "our two huge launches coming up," Marvel’s Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi 3. EA also plans to continue supporting EA Sports, with two new projects in development, The Sims franchise and Skate.