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News broke on October 21, 2026 that BioWare, the long-running video game developer behind franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, would be shutting its doors after a three-decade-long run.
The loss of BioWare, which has been owned by Electronic Arts since 2007, is just another in a long list of shutdowns and layoffs in the video game industry this year. The move comes mere months after EA went private, being bought out by a group of investors that included Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.
Alongside the doors closing on BioWare, EA is also laying off around 3% of its employees. The next title in the Mass Effect franchise has also been canceled as a result.
The news came via an internal memo from Cam Weber (President and Chief Studios Officer) and David Tinson (President and COO).
As we focus on these larger opportunities, we’ve had a small team at BioWare working on early-development for Mass Effect. We’ve made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace. BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly.
The memo states that EA intends to continue investing in its other projects, including Battlefield, Apex Legends, and EA SPORTS, as well as upcoming projects like Marvel’s Iron Man and the next installment in the Star Wars Jedi franchise.
