Ripple effect: BioWare fans have consistently feared for the studio’s future since EA acquired the company nearly 20 years ago, and those fears intensified following the announcement of a Saudi-led leveraged buyout last year. Although BioWare hadn’t released a hit in 12 years, its early successes helped define the RPG genre, and fans probably still had high hopes for the next Mass Effect entry.
In a letter to staff on Wednesday, EA announced the closure of BioWare’s Edmonton studio, its final studio, as part of broader cost-cutting measures. The renowned RPG developer had begun early development on the next Mass Effect, informally known as Mass Effect 5, which has now been canceled.
EA cut around 400 jobs this week, including a 50-person skeleton crew at BioWare. BioWare had already suffered heavy layoffs last year after several releases over the last decade fell short of sales forecasts.
– BioWare (@bioware) October 21, 2026
The closure was one of the most feared outcomes of EA’s recent leveraged buyout by the Saudi-led Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Affinity Partners was founded by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The deal left EA with around $20 billion in debt.
BioWare was founded in 1995 in Edmonton, Canada by Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip. Its first release was Shattered Steel, and over the next decade the company helped define RPGs with games like Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire. TechSpot previously ranked BioWare among the 10 most popular game developers of all time.
EA acquired BioWare in 2007, around the time the company released the first installment of the still-popular Mass Effect series. The studio’s other successful modern franchise, Dragon Age, launched in 2009.
After the original Mass Effect trilogy and the first two Dragon Age games, BioWare’s subsequent projects faced several challenges. Creative pivots often ordered by EA, a lack of resources, and issues with EA’s Frostbite game engine have pushed Dragon Age: Inquisition, Anthem, and Mass Effect: Andromeda into development hell.
While critics heaped praise on Inquisition and several media outlets named it Game of the Year 2014, it proved to be BioWare’s ultimate success. This project’s technical debt contributed to Andromeda’s disastrous launch.
Anthem arguably fared worse and BioWare stopped supporting the live service title two years after its release in 2019. While the studio’s last title, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, performed slightly better, development reversed twice and ultimately the game missed EA’s sales projections.
BioWare announced the next Mass Effect in 2020 with a short teaser and the project only appeared in a few short teasers after that. News of the studio’s closure will likely bring back memories of the fate of other studios acquired by EA such as Westwood, Pandemic, Maxis and Bullfrog.
As EA moves away from RPGs, it is expected to focus more on first-person shooters and sports titles. The publisher confirmed plans to build on the success of Battlefield 6 and Apex Legends, while Respawn and DICE are collaborating on a new project, reportedly Star Wars: Battlefront 3.
Earlier this week there were rumors that Disney was considering Halo, Destiny and Marathon maker Bungie as an alternative for Battlefront 3, but it appears that the franchise will, unsurprisingly, remain with DICE. EA also confirmed that Respawn is working on a third Star Wars Jedi game.
The publisher also announced a new, socially-focused open-world project from its American football team, the group behind Madden, and the return of its boxing simulator Fight Night. Meanwhile, EA will also be prioritizing an upcoming The Sims project, which is unlikely to be The Sims 5.
