BioWare Shut Down, New Mass Effect Cancelled as EA Cuts 3 Percent of Global

The next Mass Effect won’t be happening after all. BioWare, the legendary RPG studio behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, and more, is shutting down.

EA has announced the closure alongside layoffs that will affect 3% of the publisher’s workforce according to Variety. “EA last reported 14,500 employees, meaning the layoffs affect around 400 staffers,” the article underlined. The company has also used this opportunity to confirm Star Wars Battlefront 3, Marvel’s Iron Man, and the Jedi: Survivor sequel are happening.

It must be noted BioWare had been facing an uphill battle and mounting pressure ever since Mass Effect: Andromeda underperformed back in 2017 and Anthem (the studio and EA’s big bet on a live-service looter shooter) failed to take off. Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024) saw the studio returning to single-player RPGs, yet its troubled and rebooted development affected the final result; overall, it reviewed well, but failed to find a large crowd to justify the total cost or further investment in the franchise.

Work on the next Mass Effect, which was supposed to be a follow-up of sorts to the original trilogy, was underway since the early 2020s. An Amazon-backed live-action show has also been in development for several years, and it’s unclear what the news mean for that project. The IP is still owned by EA, but there might not be any value in pushing for a blockbuster TV series with no new video game to tie into.

That said, BF6 has just received a Dead Space-themed event, so corpses aren’t allowed to sleep at EA. Here’s hoping BioWare’s properties (and many others just collecting dust) can escape the black hole eventually and find a new home. Right now, our thoughts are with the immensely talented developers affected by the layoffs which are besieging an industry that deserves better.