Electronic Arts lays off LA employees

Electronic Arts said it has laid off some of its Los Angeles-based employees this week, as the video game industry looks ahead to mobile gaming and a new generation of video game machines.

The announcement comes right after Sony unveiled the new Playstation4, which will allow video gamers to broadcast their game play in real time. Electronic Arts makes computer, mobile, Internet and video games like The Sims and Battlefield, and as machines like Playstation evolve, so must gaming companies.

Frank Gibeau, president of EA Labels, said in a company blog post that some employees were let go in LA, Montreal and other smaller locations. He said the company has made investments in mobile and new console technology. Thousands of workers have already been retrained and redeployed to work on new platforms, he said.

“Console transitions are a complex and challenging experience,” Gibeau said. “I’ve helped navigate several and agree with an old saying we have at EA: Transition is our friend.”

Gibeau did not specify in his blog post how many employees were laid off or what positions they held. The company did not immediately return calls for comment.

Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronics Arts said sales in its fiscal third quarter declined 13 percent to $922 million. The company reported a net loss of $45 million for its fiscal third quarter, ending Dec. 31. The company has more than 9,000 employees worldwide as of March 2012.