EA shuts BioWare and scraps next Mass Effect
Electronic Arts has closed BioWare and cancelled the next Mass Effect project. The studio, founded in 1995, made the original Baldur's Gate titles along with the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. Bloomberg reports that EA is also eliminating roughly 400 positions company-wide.
BioWare, started in 1995, built its reputation on the first Baldur’s Gate entries before becoming known for Dragon Age and Mass Effect. EA has now closed the studio and ended work on the announced Mass Effect follow-up, which had been teased in 2020 and was described in 2025 as being handled by a core team after earlier cuts.
Bloomberg reports that about 400 roles are being removed across EA. The publisher’s new ownership group includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. A letter attributed to Cam Weber and David Tinson said narrowing priorities would let EA concentrate resources on its largest opportunities.
The closure may affect more than players waiting for Mass Effect: it could reshape expectations around long-running RPG franchises and reduce a prominent studio’s influence on narrative game design. Developers may face job uncertainty, while fans may lose a cultural touchstone and a shared space for discussing choices and characters. The wider industry may read the cut as a signal that even storied studios are not insulated from consolidation and shifting priorities.