EA Shuts BioWare Down and Ends Early Work on the Next Mass Effect

Electronic Arts is shutting down BioWare after 30 years, and early development on the next Mass Effect game has ended, BioWare confirmed.

Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate, and early development on the next Mass Effect game has ended with it.

Forbes contributor Paul Tassi reported the news on October 21. BioWare had been making games since 1995.

BioWare confirmed the closure in its own statement (X (formerly Twitter)). The studio said its focus now is on the team that made its games and on supporting one another through the transition.

The statement did not give a number for the cancelled game, which outlets have labelled differently.

Forbes calls it Mass Effect 5, while VGC titled its podcast episode about the closure with Mass Effect 4.

What BioWare said

The studio's message ran through its catalogue, naming Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Anthem.

It described the studio as a home for storytellers, developers and the players who brought its worlds to life.

It also thanked players for arguing over their decisions and growing attached to its characters.

Tassi said developers have lost their jobs. BioWare's statement spoke of its team but gave no figures.

A Mass Effect that never showed much

Forbes said the studio's recent years were separate from its glory days. BioWare was coming off three expensive misses, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Each fell short of fan expectations, financial expectations, or both.

Tassi wrote that the studio's future seemed to depend on a return to its roots with a new Mass Effect. That game never showed much publicly.

Series figures Casey Hudson, Mark Darrah and Mac Walters left the company years ago.

BioWare still described the project as being in early development in its farewell message. Forbes took that as a sign it had not got far in all that time.

The practical result is that no new Mass Effect game is coming from BioWare.

Reaction

VGC gave episode 193 of its podcast to the closure. Hosts Jordan Middler, Chris Scullion and Andy Robinson discussed it alongside the week's other stories.

Fan reaction on X has been angry, with a good share of it aimed at EA.