EA to close BioWare, maker of Mass Effect and Dragon Age
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare and ending early work on the next Mass Effect game, Variety and Game Developer reported. Variety said the cuts will hit about 3% of EA's staff, or around 400 jobs. Game Developer, citing Bloomberg, said 50 of them were at BioWare.
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, according to Variety and Game Developer. Early work on the next Mass Effect game is also ending.
"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 a post Wednesday. "There is nothing easy about writing those words."
The move is part of a studio restructuring outlined in a memo from EA executives Cam Weber and David Tinson, Variety reported. They wrote that a small BioWare team had been in early development on Mass Effect. EA decided not to move forward, so it is closing the studio and its Edmonton workspace. "BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," they wrote.
The restructuring will cut about 3% of EA's workforce, Variety reported. EA last reported 14,500 employees, so that comes to around 400 people, Variety said. Bloomberg reported 400 layoffs, including 50 at BioWare, according to Game Developer.
The memo said EA's Respawn and DICE studios will work together on a future project. Variety reported that multiple sources confirmed it is "Star Wars: Battlefront 3." Game Developer, citing Bloomberg, said the game is "likely" a new Battlefront.
The memo also said EA is pausing work on a Sims project called "Project Lotus." Game Developer, citing Bloomberg, reported that the project was canceled. EA said it is also working on a football game called "Project Gridiron" and bringing back the boxing game Fight Night.
It is EA's first major move since going private this summer, Variety reported. A group including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners bought EA in a $55 billion deal.
BioWare was founded in 1995 and became part of EA in 2007, Game Developer reported. The Edmonton studio made Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Its most recent game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, came out in 2024.
What we know: EA is closing BioWare and ending early work on the next Mass Effect game.
What we don't: Exactly how many jobs will be cut, since EA's memo gives no number.
Where outlets agree Variety and Game Developer report that EA is closing BioWare and ending early development on the next Mass Effect game as part of a restructuring.
Where they differ Variety reports that multiple sources confirmed the new Respawn and DICE project is "Star Wars: Battlefront 3," while Game Developer, citing Bloomberg, says it is only "likely" a new Battlefront.