Electronic Arts Shuts Down BioWare and Cancels Next Mass Effect

Electronic Arts announced a major restructuring of its studios business, resulting in the permanent closure of the legendary role-playing game studio BioWare and the cancellation of the next "Mass Effect" title. The corporate reorganization will impact approximately 3% of the company's global workforce, equating to roughly 400 positions, with about 50 of those roles based at BioWare's Edmonton, Canada workspace.

The sweeping operational changes were detailed in a company-wide memo sent on Wednesday by Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and chief operating officer. The executives explained that the company evaluated its operations to position itself for the future of interactive entertainment. "BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," Weber and Tinson stated in the communication.

The closure brings an end to years of anticipation surrounding the next installment in the "Mass Effect" franchise. A small team at BioWare had been working on early development for the project, following previous updates that included teasers and developer confirmations. The studio's recent history included struggles with the commercial performance of "Dragon Age: The Veilguard," which fell short of sales expectations and triggered previous staffing cuts at the developer following earlier titles like "Anthem."

The restructuring follows EA's transition into a private company earlier this summer through an all-cash leveraged buyout valued at $55 billion. The transaction was backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, leaving the publisher with substantial debt and a stated corporate goal to significantly reduce research and development spending.

Amid the studio closures and layoffs, EA outlined several ongoing and future projects across its portfolio. Respawn Entertainment and DICE will collaborate on a new project widely reported to be "Star Wars: Battlefront 3," while EA plans to continue heavy investments in "Apex Legends" alongside upcoming releases like "Marvel's Iron Man" and the next "Star Wars Jedi" game. In the sports category, the company teased "Project Gridiron," a social-first open-world American football experience, and pre-production work on a revival of the boxing franchise "Fight Night."

In the lifestyle category, EA announced changes to its development plans for "The Sims" and "Skate." Leadership confirmed that development on "Project Lotus," an internal name associated with "The Sims Project Rene," is being paused to prioritize "Project Evergreen." Meanwhile, the studio behind "Skate." will transition to a smaller, more focused team to establish a sustainable long-term roadmap for its community.