Electronic Arts' Star Wars Visionary Stig Asmussen Departs - What's Next for the Gaming Giant?

Video game director Stig Asmussen, known for his role in reviving Electronic Arts Inc's EA Star Wars game franchise, is bidding farewell to the company. 

This news comes as a significant development in the gaming world. Electronic Arts confirmed Asmussen's departure. 

An EA spokesperson noted that seasoned Respawn leaders would step up to continue their work on "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor," ensuring a smooth transition, Bloomberg reports.

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These Star Wars games marked a significant turnaround for the franchise, which had experienced a tumultuous decade under EA's stewardship. Asmussen's success was pivotal in elevating Respawn to one of EA's top studios. Moreover, it prompted the company to reconsider its mandate of adding multiplayer features to other games.

In a previous interview in April, Asmussen discussed Respawn's remote work policies and the relatively short development time for the new Star Wars game. He had expressed his vision of the sci-fi series as a trilogy as early as March.

Lately, the gaming company hit the headlines for multiple reasons, including foregoing subscription plans for "The Sims 5," technical issues for its "Madden NFL 24," and the launch of "EA Sports WRC," officially licensed by the FIA World Rally Championship.

In August, the company reported Q1 net bookings of $1.578 billion compared to estimates of $1.29 billion, up 21% year-over-year. It reported earnings per share of $1.47, beating the consensus of $1.09.

"EA delivered a record Q1, driven by strong momentum in EA SPORTS global football and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor," said Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA. 

Price Action: EA shares traded lower by 0.21% at $121.42 premarket on the last check Thursday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.