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Electronic Arts confirmed BioWare is closing and said it has ended early development on the next Mass Effect project. Bloomberg reports that EA is laying off about 400 employees, including around 50 at BioWare; EA has not provided those figures in the supplied statement.
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare and ending early development on the studio’s next Mass Effect game, the company said in a statement to staff. Bloomberg separately reports that EA plans to cut about 400 jobs, including around 50 at BioWare; the supplied EA statement does not confirm those figures.
EA leaders Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO, described BioWare as a studio that helped define role-playing games and said the decision was not taken lightly. BioWare’s own message said the studio was closing after more than 30 years and that early development on the next Mass Effect project was ending. It thanked players for their engagement with its games and said its immediate focus was on supporting the team.
The closure ends the run of a studio associated with Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The announcement does not specify a closure date, identify what will happen to the franchise rights, or give details about the next Mass Effect project’s progress before development stopped.
Bloomberg’s report puts the broader EA layoffs at about 400 employees, with roughly 50 BioWare staff affected. Those numbers should be treated as reported figures, not details confirmed in the statements included in the source material. EA’s staff announcement also described changes across its portfolio, including work by Respawn and DICE on a future project, continued development of Marvel’s Iron Man and a new Star Wars Jedi title, and a shift in priorities for The Sims and Skate.
The Mass Effect Future Is in Question
BioWare’s closure removes the studio most closely associated with Mass Effect and Dragon Age from EA’s development lineup. Ending early work on the next Mass Effect game also leaves the series’ near-term plans uncertain, even though EA has not said that the franchise itself is permanently discontinued. For players, the immediate effect is that the project described in the announcement will not continue in its current early-development form.
The reported job cuts add a workforce impact to the change. If Bloomberg’s figures are accurate, the restructuring extends beyond BioWare to hundreds of EA employees. EA has framed its broader decisions as a shift of investment and staff toward areas it sees as stronger opportunities, but the company has not detailed how BioWare’s work or remaining staff will be handled after the closure.
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A Studio Under Recent Pressure
The closure follows several difficult releases and organizational changes at BioWare. The source report says Mass Effect: Andromeda, released in 2017, was widely viewed as a setback for the series. Anthem, released in 2019 as a live-service game, did not meet expectations, and EA cut some BioWare positions in 2025 after Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of sales expectations, according to the report.
The announcement comes after EA was taken private in a $55 billion deal led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. The deal closed in August, according to the supplied report. EA also pointed to intensifying competition and changing player habits in its company-wide message, saying it was concentrating teams, technology and investment around selected priorities. The source does not establish that the private-equity deal caused BioWare’s closure.
EA described other ongoing or planned projects as part of its revised portfolio. It said Respawn and DICE would work together on a future project; Bloomberg reported that this is likely to be a new Star Wars: Battlefront game, but that identification was not confirmed by EA in the supplied material. The company also said it was continuing work on Iron Man and a new Star Wars Jedi title.
““BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly.””
— Cam Weber, EA president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, EA president and COO
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Jobs and Franchise Plans Remain Unclear
EA’s supplied statements do not say when BioWare will close, how many employees will lose their jobs, or whether any staff will move to other EA teams. The estimate of about 400 cuts, including around 50 at BioWare, comes from Bloomberg’s reporting and is not confirmed in the quoted company announcement.
It is also unclear whether EA intends to revive the next Mass Effect project under another team, pause the series indefinitely, or pursue a different plan. EA said early development was ending, not that all future Mass Effect games were ruled out. The source material does not clarify the fate of BioWare’s intellectual property or the status of projects beyond the named Mass Effect work.
The source report initially described the status of Amazon’s Mass Effect television series as unclear. It later said IGN reported that the show remained in development. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment to The Verge, and EA spokesperson Justin Higgs said he had “Nothing to share on that at this point.” The TV project’s status therefore was not confirmed by the companies in the material provided.
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EA’s Restructuring Takes Shape
EA has not supplied a timetable for BioWare’s closure or further details about employee support, transfers or severance. The next concrete information to watch for is an official explanation of the workforce changes and whether another EA studio will take on any BioWare responsibilities.
EA’s wider portfolio plans will continue to develop, including its stated work on Iron Man, a new Star Wars Jedi title and the future Respawn-DICE project. The company has not confirmed that the latter is Battlefront. Further announcements from EA will be needed to establish whether the next Mass Effect will return in another form and whether Amazon’s television adaptation remains on schedule.
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Key Questions
Is BioWare closing?
Yes. EA confirmed that BioWare is closing. The company has not provided a closure date in the supplied announcement.
What happens to the next Mass Effect game?
EA said early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending. It has not said whether another team might resume work later or whether the franchise will receive another game.
How many BioWare employees are affected?
Bloomberg reports that about 50 BioWare employees are among roughly 400 EA workers facing cuts. EA’s statement in the source material does not confirm those numbers.
Is the Mass Effect TV series also canceled?
The source report says IGN reported that the Amazon series remained in development. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment to The Verge, and EA said it had no update to share, so the companies did not confirm its status in the supplied material.
Source: hn
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