According to sources who spoke to Kotaku, Electronic Arts (EA) laid off over 200 quality assurance testers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday. These testers worked primarily on EA’s popular battle royale game, Apex Legends, developed by Respawn Entertainment. Many of the testers took to Twitter to share the news, and some said they had just finished their night shifts before being laid off.

The testers were reportedly invited to an unscheduled Zoom meeting with Magnit Global, their contracting agency, and were then informed that the entire QA team at the Baton Rouge office was being disbanded. EA did not comment directly on the layoffs, but said that testing for Apex Legends would now be spread out to teams located elsewhere.

The sudden layoff reportedly caught some supervisors off guard, and those impacted were only allowed to collect their personal belongings under the supervision of security. The laid-off testers will receive 60 days of severance pay, which may not cover the length of their contracts.

The Baton Rouge office had previously provided QA support for a variety of EA-published games, but had been focused on Apex Legends in recent years. Some current and former testers worry that this abrupt shift in operations could impact the quality of testing for the game in the future, given the experience and training the Baton Rouge team had built up over the last several years.

These layoffs follow EA’s cancellation of the Apex Legends mobile spin-off and an in-development Battlefield mobile game. Industrial Toys, the studio working on the Battlefield game, was shuttered as a result. Last year, EA also outsourced much of its customer service work for games like FIFA and Madden to vendors in Europe and India.

The sudden layoff of over 200 testers working on Apex Legends has raised questions about EA’s handling of its workforce. Some have criticized the company for the way it handled the layoffs, particularly the decision to use a Zoom call to inform employees of their termination. The lack of advance notice and the abrupt nature of the layoffs has also raised concerns about the treatment of contract workers in the gaming industry.

The news of the layoffs comes at a time when the gaming industry is facing increased scrutiny over its labor practices. Many companies have been criticized for their reliance on contract workers, who often lack job security and benefits. The recent unionization efforts among game developers and the #ActiBlizzWalkout protest following allegations of discrimination and harassment at Activision Blizzard have brought these issues to the forefront of the industry.

EA has not commented on the reasons behind the layoffs, but the move is likely part of the company’s ongoing effort to streamline its operations and cut costs. In addition to the layoffs in Baton Rouge, the company has also been consolidating its studios and reducing its workforce in other areas.

The impact of the layoffs on the quality of testing for Apex Legends remains to be seen, but some former testers have expressed concern that the loss of experienced staff could have a negative impact on the game’s development. EA has stated that testing for the game will be spread out to other locations, but it is unclear how this will affect the game’s development schedule and overall quality.

The layoff of over 200 testers at EA’s Baton Rouge office has highlighted the ongoing issues facing the gaming industry and the need for companies to address the concerns of their employees. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, it will be important for companies to prioritize the well-being and job security of their workers, particularly in the face of increasing public scrutiny and pressure for change.