Anyone who lived through that era remembers the nights with Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy. On Wednesday, October 21, Electronic Arts announced it is closing BioWare and ending development of the next Mass Effect, which was still in its early stages.
What was announced
BioWare itself confirmed the news on social media: “BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.” According to Bloomberg, EA is cutting about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of its workforce, across several teams.
According to Kotaku, the same letter sent to staff also cancelled a project in The Sims franchise known as Project Lotus, and named the company’s priorities as its sports games, Apex Legends and its Marvel and Star Wars projects. Variety also reported that a new Star Wars: Battlefront is in development, matching the rumor we reported this week.
The context
The cuts come after EA was bought by a group led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, with Affinity Partners and Silver Lake, a deal completed in August 2026. The $55 billion buyout left the company with about $18 billion in debt, and the board promised investors $700 million a year in cost savings.
Three decades of history
Founded in 1995 in Edmonton, Canada, BioWare was bought by EA in 2007. The following years brought the Mass Effect trilogy, the Dragon Age series and Star Wars: The Old Republic, but also stumbles like 2019’s Anthem and the below-expectations sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, followed by layoffs. Since early 2025, the studio had been focused on the next Mass Effect, which will now not be released.
EA did not detail what happens to BioWare’s franchises. The games remain on sale, including Mass Effect Legendary Edition on Steam.
Where to buy
Source: BioWare, Bloomberg, Kotaku and Variety.
SavePoint Team
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