EA Closes BioWare After 31 Years
The Edmonton studio's dissolution brings early work on the next Mass Effect title to a halt.
By Kavya Kapoor ·
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare and its Edmonton location. The decision comes from a recent internal letter. Early work on the next Mass Effect game has been stopped. EA will not move forward with this development. The company is shifting focus to other franchises. These include Battlefield, Iron Man, and a Fight Night title.
BioWare operated for 31 years. EA describes the studio as legendary. BioWare created Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Other past works include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur's Gate. EA acquired BioWare in 2008. EA itself went private in August. The next Mass Effect game was first announced in November 2020. EA released a trailer that December. The studio released Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024.
The letter outlined three corporate priorities. These are Deepen Our Core, Expand Our Reach, and Transform Our Business. BioWare received little attention in the memo. EA focuses on Battlefield 6, which it calls a great success. Other projects include Apex Legends modes. EA also plans a Marvel's Iron Man title. The next Star Wars Jedi game is in development. EA Sports is creating Project Gridiron. A Fight Night revival is in pre-production. EA intends to prioritize Project Evergreen for The Sims.
EA did not give a job count for the closure. The company will support impacted employees. This includes exploring other opportunities within EA. Neither the Mass Effect nor the Dragon Age series was declared dead. The letter did not mention BioWare's released games.
The next Mass Effect game was announced in November 2020. A trailer followed in December of that year. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster came out in 2021. BioWare released Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024. EA said Veilguard engaged about 1.5 million players during one quarter. That number was down nearly 50% from expectations. EA did not cite this as a reason for closing the studio. In early 2025, BioWare general manager Gary McKay said a core team worked on the next Mass Effect game. He said it did not require the full studio. Colleagues were matched with other teams at EA.
EA did not reveal dates for major titles. The company plans to discuss its direction with staff. This will happen at its Global Town Hall in November. Job cuts have been common in the industry. Microsoft announced 3,200 Xbox job cuts in July.
Source: Tom's Hardware
