One of the most important RPG studios in gaming history is closing its doors. Electronic Arts is shutting down BioWare, the developer behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and early development on the next Mass Effect game has been stopped.
BioWare confirmed the news on its official blog and social channels earlier today (October 21st), shortly after EA shared the decision with employees in a company-wide message.
BioWare's Farewell Message
The studio's statement opens by looking back at its library, from Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights to Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Anthem. It then delivers the news plainly: "Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending."
"There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition," the studio continued, before signing off with a message to fans: "From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story."
What EA Told Its Staff
EA's message to employees came from Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO, and was also published on EA's website. In the section on action-adventure games, they explained why the Mass Effect project was cut.
"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 pair wrote.
EA said it will support affected employees in exploring other opportunities within the company. It has not publicly said how many people work at BioWare, but Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports that EA is cutting around 400 jobs across the company, roughly 3% of its staff, with about 50 of those at BioWare.
The Rest Of EA's Shake-Up
BioWare is the biggest casualty, but it is not the only change. EA says it will concentrate on "fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects" in action-adventure while continuing work on Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.
On the shooter side, EA praised Battlefield 6 as "a great success" and confirmed that Respawn and DICE will collaborate on a future project, alongside more Battlefield and continued investment in Apex Legends. EA Sports is working on a social-first open-world American football experience called Project Gridiron and is in pre-production on a return for Fight Night.
The Sims team is prioritizing Project Evergreen and pausing Project Lotus, while skate. is moving to a smaller, more focused team. The changes follow EA's $55 billion take-private deal, led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which closed in August.
A Long Road To The End
The closure comes less than a year after BioWare insisted the next Mass Effect was moving ahead. In his N7 Day blog post last November, executive producer Mike Gamble wrote that "the next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe," adding that the team was "heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect." The game was first teased back in 2020 and never received a full reveal or release window.
BioWare's recent history has been rough. Mass Effect: Andromeda drew a mixed reception in 2017, and Anthem struggled after its 2019 launch before plans for a major overhaul were abandoned. Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched in October 2024, and EA later said it had engaged around 1.5 million players, nearly 50% below expectations. That led to another round of cuts at the studio in early 2025, with staff moved to other EA teams.
Founded in Edmonton in 1995, BioWare joined EA in 2007, before Mass Effect had even launched. Its games helped define the modern Western RPG, with companions, romances and player choices that fans still debate years later.
What Happens To Mass Effect And Dragon Age?
EA has only confirmed that this Mass Effect project is ending. It has not said that the franchise is finished, and it has not announced plans to hand Mass Effect or Dragon Age to another studio. For now, neither series has a game in development that EA has acknowledged, although EA still owns both properties.
EA said it will discuss its direction in more detail at its next Global Town Hall in November, so more answers may come then.
Do you think EA will ever bring Mass Effect or Dragon Age back with another studio, or is this the end of both series?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.