Dragon Age And Mass Effect Developer Is Being Shut Down
EA has confirmed that it's cutting 400 jobs and shutting down Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare, alongside cancelling the upcoming Mass Effect game.The last few years have been rough for the gaming industry…
EA has confirmed that it's cutting 400 jobs and shutting down Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare, alongside cancelling the upcoming Mass Effect game.
The last few years have been rough for the gaming industry all around, but it's hard to think of a studio that's had it as bad as BioWare. Once an incredibly massive studio with the whole world at its fingertips thanks to Dragon Age, KOTOR, and Mass Effect, the rough launches of Anthem, Mass Effect Andromeda, and most recently Dragon Age: The Veilguard, spelled trouble for the beloved studio.
Things didn't look much better when it was announced last year that BioWare would only be working on one game at a time after being restructured, but there was at least hope that the next Mass Effect would pay off. That sadly won't ever come to pass, as EA has confirmed that it's shutting down the studio for good.
BioWare Is Shutting Down After More Than 30 Years
A Tragic End For A Legendary Studio
As reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, EA has confirmed that it plans to cut around 400 jobs, around three percent of its overall workforce. That includes 50 employees from BioWare, who were told in a letter to staff released by EA's COO David Tinson. The letter claimed that EA took a "hard look at our business" and decided to make the cuts.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, BioWare's closure means that the next Mass Effect game has been cancelled, which sadly doesn't come as a surprise considering how far off it seemed. After going private earlier this year thanks to a $55 billion buyout from Saudi Arabia's investment fund, EA said that it had a plan to save up to $700 million by cutting research and development costs.
EA also confirmed that it has cancelled a project related to The Sims, and that it will downsize the team behind the most recent Skate game.
In response to the news getting out, the official BioWare Twitter account shared a goodbye message, noting that the studio has been "a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life". In a sentence that will absolutely bring a tear to your eye, it signed off by thanking us for "being the most meaningful part of our story".
Mass Effect Action RPG Systems Released November 20, 2007 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Engine Unreal Engine 3