The team behind the early access skateboarding game Skate, published by Electronic Arts, recently announced that they are letting go of an unspecified number of staff.
Full Circle framed this as "transforming as a studio," which, in practice, means "making changes to our team structure" that affect some people’s jobs.
In a short blog post, the studio explained, "We’re reshaping Full Circle to better support Skate’s long-term future and focus the team on the things that matter most to you and making those things great."
For the staff who are leaving, the studio emphasized that they are "talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of Skate," and added that "this decision is not a reflection of their impact and we’re committed to supporting them through this transition."
Skate only entered early access last September, so it’s still a work in progress.
According to Full Circle, the remaining team will continue development with the goal of moving faster, listening more closely to the community, and delivering updates consistently.
How exactly fewer team members will make all that easier remains a mystery to many fans.
In their latest update, released late last week, Full Circle also announced a change to how they present upcoming features.
They want to make it clear which features are actively being developed and which are only being explored or discussed without a set timeline.
The studio wrote, "The further out something is on the roadmap, the more room it has to shift, or sometimes, be shelved altogether. But we’d rather show you what we’re thinking, even while it’s shifting, than wait until everything is locked. That’s how we want to approach Early Access with you."
One example they shared is Open World Collection. It was on the previous roadmap but has now been removed so the team can focus on social features, including Meetups and Turn-Based Competitive Modes, which players have requested heavily.
The community will be watching closely to see how these changes affect the game’s pace and quality.
Support for the developers who were let go is also flowing in, as many fans recognize the contributions these team members made in building the foundation of Skate.