EA is closing BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect
EA confirms BioWare is closing, 2 months after the completion of its Saudi Arabia sale
Electronic Arts is closing historic Dragon Age studio BioWare and canceling the next Mass Effect game.
In an announcement published on social media on Wednesday, BioWare said its focus is now “on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.”
“For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life,” the company said.
“Baldur’s Gate. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dragon Age. Mass Effect. Anthem. Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”
It continued: “There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.
“What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember. These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.
“From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story.”
In a letter to staff seen by Bloomberg, EA Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber reportedly wrote that “over the past several months, we’ve taken a hard look at our business.”
According to the publication, EA will cut about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of its total staff, including about 50 at BioWare.
BioWare is first victim of Saudi-led $55 billion buyout
The news comes two months after the completion of EA’s sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). EA went private in the $55 billion leveraged buyout, which has left the company with around $18 billion in debt and paying around $1.8 billion per year in interest alone.
Earlier this year, EA told debt investors that it would cut $700 million in annual costs, including $170 million in ‘organizational efficiencies’, following completion of the deal.
BioWare was founded in 1995 by doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. The studio built its reputation around its critically acclaimed RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.
The studio was acquired by EA in 2007. In recent years, it suffered a high-profile miss in the form of the online shooter Anthem, which was promptly shut down, but seemed to return to form with 2024’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which received mostly positive reviews.
The next Mass Effect game was announced back in 2020, but little has been seen of it since. Last year, EA downsized BioWare’s development team, but claimed the cuts were related to those who had shipped The Veilguard. Just last year, Mass Effect’s director reassured fans that the next game was still in development, despite concerns around its impending sale.
In Wednesday’s letter to staff, EA claimed that it will continue to invest in sports games, Apex Legends, Battlefield, and action-adventure projects like the next Star Wars Jedi game and Marvel’s Iron Man.
