Electronic Arts Closes Legendary Game Studio BioWare After Three Decades

Electronic Arts announced on Wednesday it is closing BioWare, the influential studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, as part of a company-wide initiative to cut 400 jobs.

The closure of the 31-year-old developer, which was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2007, also marks the cancellation of a fifth installment in the Mass Effect series that was in early development.

The shutdown follows an August deal in which Electronic Arts was taken private by an investment consortium including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.

“After more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending,” the studio said in an online statement.

The studio, founded in Edmonton in 1995, gained industry prominence for its narrative-driven role-playing games, including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the original Mass Effect trilogy.

“The video game industry is what it is today because of BioWare, and you can never replace them,” said Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack.

Recent years proved difficult for the developer, as 2019’s Anthem underperformed and the 2024 title Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet sales expectations set by Electronic Arts.

“EA, at its core, is a monetization company. It takes franchises, it figures out how to extract money out of them on a regular basis for shareholder return,” said Trent Oster, a BioWare co-founder.

Following the closure, a trailer for the cancelled Mass Effect project appeared online, featuring a character from the original trilogy and the title Mass Effect: Universe.

While Electronic Arts has not officially confirmed the footage, industry reporters have stated the trailer is legitimate, according to The Verge and Game Informer.

Electronic Arts has not specified the future of the Mass Effect intellectual property, though the company confirmed it remains focused on other key titles, including projects under its sports banner.