BioWare has announced the sudden closure of its studio, ending the development of the next Mass Effect game.
The announcement came today as a surprise via the studio’s official channels, as BioWare has been working on the next entry in its sci-fi RPG series for the past few years. Its most recent game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched in 2024.
“There is nothing easy about writing those words,” BioWare said on social media in a statement about the closure. “Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.”
The new Mass Effect was originally announced back in 2020, and there’s been a handful of teasers shared in the years since. But now, it’s being shuttered with the rest of the studio, never to be released.
More information about the shutdown will likely come out over the next few days, but it seems as though this may be a casualty of continuous re-shuffling at BioWare owner Electronic Arts, which was acquired earlier this year by a consortium including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
This is a devastating blow to the industry, as the once-highly regarded studio was home to several important franchises and top-tier games, like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, and more, on top of misfires like Anthem.
For my money, Mass Effect is one of the greatest sci-fi universes ever built. It’s sad to see it end like this, especially with hope on the horizon with a new game potentially leading back to the original trilogy and its characters like Liara T’Soni and more.
I hope those who worked at the studio will be able to land on their feet soon enough after this latest set of bad news in the gaming industry.
Update on Oct. 21 at 12:33pm CT: Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports around 400 jobs are being cut at EA today, including BioWare’s closure (“roughly 50”). In a letter to staff, EA said it will “continue investing in its sports games, the online shooter Apex Legends and action-adventure projects, including the next Star Wars Jedi title and a new game starring Marvel’s Iron Man,” along with DICE and Respawn collaborating on a new title, which is likely to be a new Star Wars Battlefront.
