EA Shuts Down BioWare, Cancels Next Mass Effect
EA is closing BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect game as part of about 400 layoffs, two months after its $55 billion private buyout deal closed.
Electronic Arts is shutting down BioWare, the legendary game studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, after more than 30 years. The company is also cancelling the next Mass Effect game, which was still in early development. The move comes with about 400 job cuts across EA, just two months after the publisher went private in a $55 billion deal.
What EA announced
EA told staff on October 21 that it would close BioWare's studio in Edmonton, Canada, and end early development on the next Mass Effect project. The news broke first through Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, and was then confirmed in a staff letter from EA COO David Tinson and chief studios officer Cam Weber. BioWare posted its own farewell on social media. "Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending," the studio wrote, thanking players who "fell in love with characters, and made these worlds your own."
About 400 jobs cut
Around 400 EA employees - roughly 3 percent of the company's total staff - are being laid off. About 50 of those jobs are at BioWare itself, and the Edmonton workspace will close permanently. EA said it would help affected employees find other opportunities inside the company.
Why this is happening
EA says it is narrowing its focus to fewer, larger action-adventure games. It will keep investing in sports titles, Apex Legends, Battlefield, and licensed projects including the next Star Wars Jedi game and Marvel's Iron Man. A Sims project codenamed Project Lotus is also being dropped as the team restructures. The cuts land two months after EA completed its $55 billion private buyout in August 2026, led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Reporting puts about $18 billion of debt on the company's books, and EA has promised investors up to $700 million in annual cost reductions.
End of an era for RPG fans
BioWare was founded in 1995 and bought by EA in 2007. It built some of the most loved role-playing games ever made, from Baldur's Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Its recent run was rough: Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017), Anthem (2019) and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024) all fell short of expectations. For fans, the cancellation of the next Mass Effect is the final blow. The game was announced back in 2020 but was never shown beyond a few teasers, developed by a small team inside the Edmonton studio.
Sources
- Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/technology/ea-shutter-bioware-studio-cut-jobs-it-narrows-game-slate-2026-10-21/ - GamesHub - https://www.gameshub.com/news/article/ea-shuts-down-bioware-cancels-mass-effect-2916424/ - Gadgets 360 - https://www.gadgets360.com/games/news/ea-layoffs-bioware-shutdown-next-mass-effect-cancelled-12218685?pfrom=home-ndtvworld_world_gadgets&technology