According to reports, two years after the $775-million acquisition of Westwood-based game developer Pandemic Studios and its sister concern Bioware, Electronic Arts (EA) is shuttering Pandemic, thereby resulting in the elimination of 200 jobs. The firm's core team, comprising nearly 25 members, will join the video game publisher's other Los Angeles studio.

EA spokesman, Jeff Brown, elaborated that despite the imminent closure of Pandemic, EA still remains "committed to the Pandemic brand and franchises," which includes series like Star Wars Battlefront, Destroy All Humans, Full Spectrum Warrior, and Mercenaries. Currently, the studio is involved in developing a forthcoming title named The Saboteur.

The employees of Pandemic were informed about EA's decision to close down the studio for good, in an internal memo posted Tuesday on the news blog Kotaku. Nick Earl - Senior VP of the EA Games label - wrote that Pandemic's closure will "improve our cost structure, ensure quality and build schedule integrity for this studio."

The move comes as part of the struggling publisher's recently-announced proposal to lay off 16 percent, or 1,500, of its worldwide workforce.

Furthermore, with the recent $400-million deal for the buyout of Internet social gaming developer Playfish, EA is looking to restructure itself by reducing the number of console games' production, and focusing to online games that would help it generate revenue from advertising as well as subscriptions.