EA closes BioWare and cancels next Mass Effect

Electronic Arts has closed BioWare after 31 years of operations and canceled the next Mass Effect game, cutting approximately 400 jobs across the publisher, according to reporting by Bloomberg. The Canadian studio, founded in 1995 in Edmonton, leaves behind a defining legacy in role-playing video games including Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age. Bloomberg reported that EA’s restructuring eliminates roughly 400 total positions, representing about three percent of the company’s workforce, with roughly 50 of those jobs affected directly at BioWare.

Bloomberg noted that the next Mass Effect title, officially announced in 2020, was in an early development stage and handled by a small team before cancellation. Bloomberg reported that BioWare had struggled to produce a major commercial success in recent years, following the divisive launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017, the failed online game Anthem in 2019, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024 falling short of internal sales expectations. Bloomberg noted that the closure plans surfaced through journalist Jason Schreier before BioWare and EA formally confirmed the shutdown.

Studio Closure and Mass Effect Cancellation Unfold

Bloomberg detailed that BioWare’s closure concludes more than three decades of game development that began when Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip founded the studio in 1995. Bloomberg reported that the studio had already shrunk significantly leading up to the closure, dropping from over 200 employees down to fewer than 100 by early 2025 as staff members were reassigned to other teams within Electronic Arts. Executive producer Mike Gamble had assured fans as recently as November 2025 that the new Mass Effect project remained active, but Bloomberg reported that leadership ultimately decided to halt production entirely rather than reassign the project to another studio.

In communications sent to employees, EA president and chief studios officer Cam Weber alongside president and COO David Tinson described the company as the top publisher in western HD gaming while noting that the industry is changing rapidly, as reported by the primary source material. Weber and Tinson stated that competition has intensified and player choices have expanded, leading the publisher to concentrate teams and investments onto three priorities: deepening core franchises, expanding reach, and transforming the business. Bloomberg added that alongside the BioWare closure, an unannounced Sims project was terminated, while skate continues development with a reduced headcount.

Corporate Restructuring and Ongoing EA Franchises

Electronic Arts confirmed that its broader corporate downsizing eliminates about 400 jobs, amounting to roughly three percent of its total workforce. Bloomberg reported that the cuts affect approximately 50 employees at BioWare alongside the permanent closure of the studio’s Edmonton headquarters. Despite the reductions, EA outlined active plans for several major franchises. The publisher will continue supporting Respawn’s Apex Legends with new multiplayer modes and universe expansions, while action-adventure titles such as Star Wars Jedi 3 and Marvel’s Iron Man remain in development, though EA expects fewer simultaneous large projects in that genre.

Battlefield continues to represent a pillar for the publisher, following what corporate memos termed the major success of last year’s Battlefield 6. Bloomberg and primary source material indicated that Respawn and DICE are collaborating on a project widely anticipated to be Star Wars: Battlefront 3. Meanwhile, BioWare published a farewell statement across its social media channels acknowledging its history.

Mehr als 30 Jahre lang war BioWare mehr als ein Studio. Es war ein Zuhause für Geschichtenerzähler, Entwickler und die Spieler, die unsere Welten zum Leben erweckt haben.

BioWare

Uncertain Future for Historic RPG Franchises

Bloomberg reported that the abrupt cancellation of the studio’s projects leaves the long-term prospects for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age intellectual properties entirely unclear. While the permanent shelving of the next Mass Effect installment marks an immediate end to active production, Bloomberg noted that the closure of the developer does not automatically mean Electronic Arts has abandoned either franchise permanently. Neither EA nor BioWare has disclosed specific severance details or transition terms for the remaining workers affected by the Edmonton studio closure.