RIP BioWare: EA has shut down the legendary RPG developer

BioWare is closing, and the next Mass Effect game is cancelled.

The legendary RPG studio was responsible for the original Baldur's Gate games and, most recently, the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. The studio was founded in 1995.

https://t.co/TicSujMWpsOctober 21, 2026

"What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember," said the studio in a statement published on social media. "These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own."

BioWare owner Electronic Arts was recently acquired by a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.

Employees were not confident that the studio had a future, with one saying last year that it felt like "a matter of time" before the axe fell.

The next Mass Effect game was first teased in 2020. In 2025, BioWare said that "a core team at BioWare" was working on the game after layoffs at the studio.

Bloomberg also reports that EA is laying off around 400 people across the company.

In a letter shared with employees and published on EA's website, the company said that "saying no to some things we're passionate about allows us to focus our teams and resources so we give our biggest opportunities everything they need to succeed."

The letter was signed by EA chief studios officer Cam Weber, who until recently headed up EA Sports, and EA COO David Tinson.