BioWare, the Edmonton studio that gave the world Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, is being shut down. EA told staff on October 21 that it is closing the studio after more than 30 years, and the next Mass Effect game, which was still in early development, goes with it.
What EA has actually said
According to Dexerto, which cites a Bloomberg-reviewed letter, the news came in a memo to employees from EA COO David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber. They wrote that EA had “taken a hard look at our business” over recent months and is making choices to line up talent and investment with growth. BioWare itself confirmed the closure on X, saying there is “nothing easy about writing those words” and thanking players.
Engadget puts the overall cut at around 400 jobs. Bloomberg’s figures, as relayed by Dexerto, are roughly 3 percent of EA’s workforce, with about 50 of those people at BioWare. Treat the exact headcount as reported rather than confirmed, because EA has not published its own number in the material we could see.
Not just BioWare
The memo reportedly reaches well beyond one studio. Per Bloomberg’s reporting, Project Lotus, a Sims game, is canceled in favor of Project Evergreen, and the skate team is being downsized while the game continues. EA Sports, Apex Legends and Battlefield are staying put, and the next Star Wars Jedi game and a Marvel Iron Man title are said to be moving forward. Respawn and DICE will start a new project that Bloomberg says is likely a Star Wars Battlefront game. That last part is a report, not an announcement.
How the studio got here
BioWare was founded in 1995 and bought by EA in 2007 for a reported $775 million. Its last release was Dragon Age: The Veilguard in October 2024, which Dexerto says missed EA’s sales expectations. The studio had already shrunk: in January 2025 it moved several developers to other EA teams and left a small core group on the next Mass Effect.
The timing also lines up with a change of ownership. EA’s roughly $55 billion buyout, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, closed on August 4, 2026, and reportedly added about $18 billion in debt. Nobody has publicly tied the closure to the buyout, and EA’s own explanation is the general business review above. It is fair to note the sequence without claiming a cause.
What it means for players
The practical answer is: not much changes on your shelf today. The reporting we reviewed says nothing about existing BioWare games being pulled or services ending, and EA has not said what happens to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age brands beyond canceling the new Mass Effect. A brand can sit dormant for years, get handed to another EA team, or be licensed out. Which of those happens is simply unknown.
It is also one more data point in an industry where big publishers keep trimming. Rising console prices and softer hardware sales have not helped, a trend we covered in US console sales are sliding, and EA’s remaining lineup leans heavily on sports and shooters like Battlefield 6, which just landed on Game Pass.
Bottom Line
This is a sad day for fans of story-driven RPGs, and the loss of a studio with this much history is not softened by corporate language about alignment. What is confirmed: BioWare is closing and the next Mass Effect is over. What is still open: the number of affected staff and the future of the franchises. We will update if EA clarifies.
FAQ
Is Mass Effect canceled for good?
The next Mass Effect game, which was in early development, is canceled. EA has not said anything about the Mass Effect brand itself, so a future game by another team is not ruled out, but nothing is planned that we know of.
Does this affect other EA games?
According to Bloomberg’s reporting, EA Sports titles, Apex Legends and Battlefield are staying. Project Lotus, a Sims game, is canceled and skate is being downsized.
Who owns Mass Effect and Dragon Age now?
EA, which bought BioWare in 2007 and has owned the studio and its franchises since. The company has not announced any plan for either series after the closure.
Featured image: Photo by Alexey Savchenko on Unsplash.
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