Seems, EA are finally closing Pandemic Studios...
link
Shame, I thought SW:Battlefront was quite decent for a game.

It's not actually that surprising. Pandemic used to be a major player but haven't made anything decent in years. They have also wasted a ton of cash through mis-management so I would guess EA just cant afford to keep subsidising them anymore.

Full spectrum warrior was great... and, though i had a strong personal hatred for Battlefront, they were the best selling star wars games ever.
I don't get why publishers keep closing studios... surely it'd make more financial sense to fix the problems...

Is anyone really surprised by this? I mean, Pandemic was great, but what have they done lately that is really all that memorable? Frankly, I thought they were already done for earlier this year, but I'm probably just remembering the closure of their Australian branch.

Well, both Mercenaries and Conquest were pretty half-arsed. So it's not too surprising.

rumors, brought to you by Kotaku, who will post anything if they even think there's any body who will read it.

Wasn't pandemic making The Saboteur?
I was rather shocked when they merged with bioware, it seemed like the least likely combination. Kinda like a chocolate covered gherkin, the chocolate is awesome, the gherkin is okay when you're in the mood for that sort of thing but the combination will probably turn you off both for years
At least they normally have the decency to say its a rumour. And they're still leagues better than destructoid

Not necessarily. Even while they are "fixing" problems, they need to pay staff and pay fees for licensing of software/engines and the like. And a lot of the time, the reason they are getting rid of a studio is not just because they aren't making money. It is because that studio doesn't make games people want to play.
Let's use a semi-well liked studio, as an example. Introversion (Uplink and Darwinia). The people who like their games, love them. Everybody else tends to feel lukewarm. As much as people like them, they aren't a success economically (I remember when the fans would invade other forums just to ask people to buy the game/donate to the studio so that it would stay afloat).
Is it because they lack skill? Maybe in porting Darwinia to the XBOX, but that is a moot point. It is because their vision is not profitable. And no amount of time will change that. Does it make Uplink any less awesome? Not at all. But I don't see them getting signed on to a major publisher.
Kind of an extreme, but can you see why some publishers may not want to keep a studio around? Hopefully Pandemic will find other outlets (like so many other broken up studios have), but it probably won't be with EA.

Yes. It releases on December 8 so it's very likely that the game is already finished and ready to print. It's very sad that they are laying off all the employees now rather than waiting to see how well it sells; I suppose they will get some other team to make a sequel if it turns out to be a hit.
It's this sort of behaviour that has earned EA a reputation for destroying developers and milking franchises dry; this behaviour was recognised even as far back as 1992: Origin's Ultima VII: The Black Gate's plot and villains were references to EA, with the main villain being called a "destroyer of worlds", parodying EA's slogan of the time ("We Create Worlds"). The sad, ironic twist is that EA later came to own Origin along with Ultima and let the franchise stagnate once Ultima Online was released (there has never been a new Ultima game since then, only UO expansions).

Call me heartless, but that's what people get for choosing to serve under EA.

I liked the Ultima Games.
They were quite well written, and eminently playable and replayable.
U7 and U8 rank probably as my favourites, closely followed by Ultima Underworld....2, I think...
Too many years since I played them last :(

Well, this "rumor" happened to be true.
http://kotaku.com/5406830/confirmed-ea-closes-pandemic-studios-says-brand-will-live-on

That's how I feel about rumours, too. I don't see the point in posting unless there is confirmation. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow but I'm not phoning my friends and family about it today.

Truly a series with great history. I've played U4-U8 as well as both UW games.
I'd love to see someone bring that series back, a full reboot could be fantastic. I fear they've concentrated on UO for far too long though. I played UO for a couple of years, but lost interest. I'm amazed it's still going really, given the competition these days.