EA to Reduce Workforce, Restructure for Digital Distribution

<p>Electronic Arts has plans to reduce its workforce and spend close to &dollar;400 million in fiscal year 2012 as it continues to focus even more efforts on the digital game market&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>EA’s new plan was laid out in a filing with the U&period;S&period; Securities and Exchange Commission sent alongside the latest investors report&period; The restructuring will most likely begin soon and should be complete by September 30&comma; 2012&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Jeff Brown&comma; EA Vice President of Corporate Communications said in an interview&comma;  &&num;8220&semi;The restructuring charge is related to our move to digital games and services&period; It impacts a relatively small number of EA&&num;8217&semi;s 9&comma;000 employees&period; Most importantly&comma; EA is hiring and we expect to finish the year with more employees&comma; not fewer&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>EA plans to spend &dollar;40 million as part of the restructure&period; This includes &num;23 million in severance package payouts and &dollar;11 million for &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;license termination&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>More details should come out of an investors call that took place at 5 p&period;m&period; ET&period; EA did not announced anything new&comma; but did say some big project announcements were coming at this years Es&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&lpar;Via <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theverge&period;com&sol;gaming&sol;2012&sol;5&sol;7&sol;3005531&sol;ea-reducing-workforce-prioritizing-digital-offerings">The Verge<&sol;a>&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;