EA closes BioWare after 31 years and cancels next Mass Effect game
Electronic Arts (EA) is shutting down BioWare, the Canadian studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, ending its 31-year history and cancelling development of the next Mass Effect game.
The company confirmed the decision on October 21 as part of a wider restructuring involving approximately 400 job cuts, or 3% of its workforce. Around 50 BioWare employees are expected to lose their jobs, Bloomberg reported.
EA chief operating officer David Tinson and chief studios officer Cam Weber told employees that the company would concentrate its resources on fewer large-scale projects.
The executives said BioWare had been working on the next Mass Effect with a small team but that EA had decided against continuing development. The closure also affects the studio’s Edmonton office in Canada.
The announcement prompted criticism from fans, many of whom blamed EA for the loss of one of the industry’s most influential role-playing game developers.
«EA killed another game developer. Thanks EA,» one Instagram user commented, receiving more than 18,000 likes.
Why is EA shutting down BioWare?
Founded in 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, BioWare established its reputation through story-driven role-playing games that allowed players to influence narratives through dialogue choices and relationships.
Its catalogue includes Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
EA acquired BioWare in 2007, after which the studio released several commercially successful titles, including the original Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
However, more recent releases struggled to meet expectations. The 2019 multiplayer game Anthem failed to establish a sustainable player base, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released in 2024, fell short of EA’s sales targets.
The closure follows EA’s $55bn takeover by an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, alongside Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which was completed in August 2026.
EA has not explicitly linked BioWare’s closure to the acquisition.
The publisher will continue developing projects including Marvel’s Iron Man, the next Star Wars Jedi game and future Battlefield titles.
BioWare ended its farewell message by thanking players for their support.
