EA Closes BioWare and Cancels Next Mass Effect
EA has shut BioWare and ended early development on the next Mass Effect as it narrows its investment towards fewer major projects.
What you need to know
- EA is closing BioWare and its Edmonton workspace.
- Early development on the next Mass Effect game has ended.
- Around 400 EA job cuts, including roughly 50 at BioWare, have been reported but are not confirmed by EA.
Electronic Arts has closed BioWare and cancelled early development on the next Mass Effect, ending work on what would have been the series’ fifth game since 2007.
EA announced the decision on 21 October as part of a wider organisational and portfolio restructuring. The company said a small BioWare team had been working on the project and that it would also close the studio’s Edmonton workspace.
“We’ve made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace.”
EA’s announcement did not give a total for job losses, but Bloomberg reporting cited by AP said the company planned to cut about 400 roles, including roughly 50 at BioWare. The final number of redundancies has not been confirmed.
A narrower EA slate
The publisher said it would focus on fewer simultaneous large-scale projects after reviewing its operations and investment priorities over recent months. Its stated priorities include continued investment in Battlefield, Apex Legends, EA Sports titles, Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.
EA is also continuing Project Evergreen for The Sims, while pausing Project Lotus; reducing the skate. team while keeping its development roadmap; and beginning pre-production on a new Fight Night project.
End of a long-running RPG studio
Founded in Edmonton in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, BioWare was known for role-playing games including Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
In its own farewell statement, BioWare said: “Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”
The cancelled game had not received a public title, release date, platform list, gameplay reveal or price. EA has not said whether the project or related work could be revived, transferred or sold elsewhere.
What it means for players
There is no immediate change confirmed for existing Mass Effect or Dragon Age games and services. The direct impact for UK buyers is instead the loss of a potential future role-playing release before it reached the point of pre-orders, pricing or a launch window.
Why it matters
For UK players, this means the next Mass Effect will not arrive as a new release: it had no announced platforms, price or launch date before its cancellation. The closure also removes a studio central to several landmark role-playing series, while EA shifts its public priorities towards established franchises including EA Sports FC, Battlefield and Apex Legends.
Sources and evidence (9)
- careers.ea.com (other)
- arstechnica.com (other)
- apnews.com (other)
- gematsu.com (other)
- careers.ea.com (other)
- apnews.com (other)
- arstechnica.com (other)
- gematsu.com (other)
- apnews.com (other)