After more than three decades of crafting iconic role-playing games, BioWare is officially shutting its doors. Electronic Arts confirmed the studio closure alongside the immediate cancellation of the next Mass Effect title, which was sitting in early development at the team’s Edmonton workspace.
The decision brings a sudden end to the legendary studio behind fan-favorite series like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Anthem.
Layoffs and the $55B private buyout
The studio shutdown lands right alongside roughly 400 company-wide layoffs, cutting about 3% of EA’s total workforce. Around 50 of those lost jobs come directly from BioWare’s Canadian workspace. These sweeping cuts follow EA’s massive $55 billion private buyout that closed in August, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund alongside private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.
In an internal email sent to staff, EA executives Cam Weber and David Tinson outlined a major pivot toward fewer, high-margin blockbusters. On the shooter side, EA is bringing Respawn and DICE together for a new joint project while expanding Apex Legends with fresh multiplayer modes. Meanwhile, its action-adventure teams will focus heavily on upcoming single-player titles like Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.
Sports reboots and lifestyle game changes
EA is also reallocating resources across its sports and lifestyle lineups to maximize return on investment. The publisher is committing heavily to its FC soccer franchise, reviving the fan-favorite Fight Night series, and building a new social open-world football game called “Project Gridiron.” On the lifestyle front, EA is pausing development on The Sims spin-off “Project Lotus” to focus on “Project Evergreen,” while shrinking the studio behind the skate. reboot to a leaner team.
In a social media post, BioWare thanked generations of players who explored its sci-fi worlds and fell in love with its characters since 1995. EA executives noted that management will help affected staff look for other open positions across the publisher before final layoffs kick in.
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