Among the quieter lines of EA's restructuring memo from studios chief Cam Weber and COO David Tinson is a plan to bring the Respawn and DICE studios together to collaborate on a future project.

The executives did not identify the game, writing only that the collaboration will help deliver 'a shooter portfolio that unlocks growth' alongside future Battlefield titles.

However, Variety reports that multiple sources confirmed the unannounced project is Star Wars: Battlefront 3, to be developed for Lucasfilm.

The choice stands out because the two studios have never been framed as a joint creative unit: DICE built the original Battlefront games and the Battlefield franchise, while Respawn — founded by ex-Infinity Ward developers — became known for Titanfall, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi series.

EA positioned the partnership as applying Battlefield 6's launch and live-service learnings across its shooter portfolio, calling the game 'a great success.'

According to Variety, EA also pledged continued heavy investment in Apex Legends with new multiplayer modes, so the collaboration is an expansion of shooter capacity rather than a replacement of existing commitments.

The evidence comes from two layers of the same disclosure.

The public memo, addressed to EA employees, lays out three priorities — deepen the core, expand reach, and transform the business — and names concrete projects: Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game in action-adventure, 'Project Gridiron' as a social-first open-world American football experience, and pre-production on a Fight Night revival after a 15-year hiatus, per Variety.

The Star Wars project, by contrast, was deliberately left unnamed, with sources confirming Battlefront 3 to Variety separately.

On the lifestyle side, EA is prioritizing 'Project Evergreen' for The Sims while pausing 'Project Lotus,' and shrinking the Skate. studio to a smaller team with what the executives called a clearer roadmap.

This is EA's first major strategic move since its $55 billion all-cash take-private closed on August 4 with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners — a deal Variety notes valued the publisher at $55 billion.

Squeezing legacy franchises like Mass Effect to fund big-swing shooters shows how sharply priorities have narrowed.

The news also landed on a turbulent day for the internet: CNN reports governments and companies worldwide were scrambling to patch the AI-uncovered PHP2Shell flaws affecting roughly 70% of websites, underscoring how much of online life — including game ecosystems — depends on fragile infrastructure.

EA says it will discuss the new direction at its November Global Town Hall, leaving Battlefront 3 details for later.