Electronic Arts Implements Return-to-Office Policy for Developers
It seems the tides are going out at Electronic Arts. Rumors, including from IGN, that gaming giant EA is calling its developers back to physical offices, a significant relaxation of its more liberal remote-work culture. This move is sure to create waves within the company and, quite possibly, outside of it.
The New Lay of the Land at EA
So what exactly is this "return to office" then. According to a memo from CEO Andrew Wilson, the term "hybrid work" will now, for the majority of us, equate to at least three days of in-office time at an EA office. The company is also purportedly suspending hiring for fully remote positions based locally to studios on a temporary basis.
EA Entertainment President Laura Miele has provided some assurance that these changes won't happen overnight. Right now, remote workers who are now being asked to be in the office will get at least a 12-week notice period of time to assist them with adjusting to the change. That's a critical amount of time for those who will need to make extreme lifestyle adjustments.
One key feature of this new system is a geographical limit: a 30-mile (or 48km) radius surrounding the offices of EA. If you're a worker who lives within this boundary and are currently working from home, you're likely in line for the new hybrid three-day-a-week system.
For others beyond this perimeter, it is a bit of "wait and see." They will continue their current arrangements until EA decides its mind about whether they should shift towards a hybrid structure or even full five-day on-site attendance.
Remote Work: A Higher Bar to Clear
Perhaps the most drastic alteration is how remote work in the future will be handled. Any new hires seeking remote positions, or existing employees in need of an exemption from the standard hybrid or in-office setups, will reportedly see their requests granted by the very top brass themselves – either Laura Miele or Andrew Wilson directly. This means that completely remote work will become a much less frequent exception rather than a readily available option.
The "Kinetic Energy" Argument
Why the big push. Andrew Wilson's letter, cited by IGN, spoke of the "kinetic energy" of office life, suggesting that it fuels "creativity, innovation, and connection" to "unexpected breakthroughs." It's a classic one, idealizing the office as a breeding ground for group magic.
But whilst most will admit this kind of remote success is not new, many people within the gaming industry, and indeed the wider business sector, would argue it is not new. Even before the pandemic, game development studios were already successful with work-from-home setups, and the global pandemic reminded the world once more that even large studios can survive on spread-out staff. What Wilson describes are not necessarily office-centric.
Not every EA staffer, of course, is necessarily pleased with this. Anonymous sources who spoke to IGN have questioned the feasibility of relocating within the notice period and the general upheaval a mandatory return to the office, even half-time, can cause in people's lives.
These new policies have a high likelihood of pushing top coders out of EA. If the employees, due to very good personal reasons, cannot meet the new in-office requirements, they might be forced to seek other employment. Some might see this as a way for EA to reduce headcount without having the actual layoffs and severance packages. While even the company's balance sheet would look stronger to its insiders, losing good talent is a cost harder to quantify but far-reaching in its impact.
This policy shift comes on the heels of recent reports in which EA was reported to have laid off some 300-400 developers, among them some 100 from Respawn, and also cancelled a previously unannounced game, rumored to be a Titanfall-series extraction shooter.
