BioWare Becomes First Major Casualty Of Saudi Arabia's EA Takeover
Electronic Arts has shut down BioWare, the renowned studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and cut 400 jobs, a move that critics link to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund taking a majority stake in EA. This closure follows underperforming sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and is framed as a consequence of corporate restructuring and private equity influence.
Why it matters
This event marks a significant loss for the video game industry, impacting a legendary studio, hundreds of employees, and the future of beloved game franchises, while also highlighting the broader implications of corporate takeovers and strategic realignments in the tech sector.
When news came out that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had taken a majority stake in Electronic Arts last September, it was clear to anyone familiar with Saudi Arabia, EA, private equity, or capitalism that the move would make an already terrible gaming company even worse. I wrote as much at the time , and though the sale took until August of this year to go through, I can grimly say that I was completely right: On Wednesday, Bloomberg video game reporter Jason Schreier reported that EA had shut down BioWare , the game studio behind classic role-playing game series such as Mass Effect , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age .
BREAKING: Electronic Arts is cutting 400 jobs and shutting down BioWare, the legendary development studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The studio then confirmed the news in a statement.
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