Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and has stopped early development on the next Mass Effect game, according to a letter to employees that EA published on its website on October 21.
The letter, signed by chief studios officer Cam Weber and chief operating officer David Tinson, confirms the closure of the studio and its Edmonton workspace as part of a wider review of the publisher’s gaming portfolio.
BioWare confirmed the news in a statement on social media, saying the studio “is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.” EA’s letter does not give a number for affected employees, while the wider round of cuts across the company has been put at around 400 jobs.
Why EA Is Closing BioWare
EA frames the decision as part of a new strategy with three priorities: deepening its core franchises, reaching players on new platforms and in new markets, and building new businesses around sports.
In action-adventure, the company says it will run fewer large-scale projects at the same time. EA explains that only a small team at BioWare was working on the early version of Mass Effect, and that it chose not to continue that work.
The next Mass Effect was first teased in 2020 and was expected to bring back characters from the original trilogy. BioWare’s most recent release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard from 2024, underperformed according to EA. Anthem, the studio’s 2019 live service shooter, had its servers shut down earlier this year.
BioWare was founded in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007. EA itself was taken private by a consortium of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion deal that closed in August.
What Else Changes at EA
The same letter lays out changes across EA’s other teams:
- Respawn and DICE will collaborate on a future shooter project, alongside future Battlefield titles and continued investment in Apex Legends.
- Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game remain in development.
- EA Sports is working on “Project Gridiron”, a social, open-world American football game, and is in pre-production on a return of Fight Night.
- Work on “Project Lotus” for The Sims is paused so the team can prioritize “Project Evergreen”.
- The skate. studio is moving to a smaller, more focused team.
EA describes its sports business as operating from a position of strength, and the FC franchise was in the news earlier this week when EA Sports FC 27 received a PEGI 16 rating over loot boxes.
EA says affected employees will be supported in exploring other roles inside the company, and more details will follow at a Global Town Hall in November. The publisher has not said what will happen to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age intellectual property now that the studio is closing.
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