'Mass Effect' Maker BioWare Faces Closure as Electronic Arts Moves To Cut 400 Jobs

Video game company Electronic Arts (EA) is closing BioWare and ending development of the next Mass Effect game as it prepares to cut about 400 jobs across the company.

TheWrap reported that the publisher would shut down the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age as part of a broader review of its business. According to IGN, citing Bloomberg, the planned job cuts represent approximately 3% of EA's workforce, including roughly 50 positions at BioWare.

The EA BioWare closure was announced in a statement published on 21 October 2026. The studio also confirmed that early development on the next Mass Effect project would end.

The Next 'Mass Effect' Game Cancelled

Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and President and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber outlined the decisions in a staff memo obtained by Bloomberg, according to TheWrap.

The executives said they had reviewed EA's business over several months before deciding where to direct its staff and investment. The next Mass Effect game remained in early development when they decided to discontinue the project.

EA's decision to close BioWare and end work on the game was also addressed in the studio's public statement.

'BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly,' the executives wrote.

Former Writer Defends the Cancelled Game

Former Mass Effect writer and The New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente defended the team's work following the announcement, according to IGN.

On X, she responded to a user who argued that the industry's inability to produce another instalment of a celebrated game demonstrated a fundamental problem with the business.

'We did figure it out. We were working on a great game. Just saying,' Valente wrote.

Her comments concerned the project EA had decided to discontinue while it was still in early development at BioWare.

In a separate exchange, Valente clarified that she had not worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Mass Effect: Andromeda or Anthem. Responding to another commenter, she said she was 'not, in fact, the personification of BioWare'.

BioWare Says Its Focus Is on Staff

A BioWare spokesperson told TheWrap that the studio had served as a home for developers, storytellers and players for more than 30 years.

Its farewell statement named Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Anthem, reflecting the range of games produced during that period.

'There is nothing easy about writing those words,' the studio said in its statement announcing its closure and the end of early development on the next Mass Effect project.

BioWare said its immediate priority was supporting the employees who had worked on those games and helping colleagues through the transition. The statement also thanked players for their role in bringing its fictional worlds to life.

Cuts Follow EA's Private Buyout

EA said it would continue investing in sports and action-adventure games, alongside Apex Legends. Tinson and Weber described the changes as decisions about where to direct staff and investment to support future growth.

The company also said it would help affected employees explore other opportunities within EA and discuss the changes at its next global town hall in November.

The cuts follow EA's move into private ownership through a leveraged buyout worth $55 billion (approximately £41.04 billion). The sterling equivalent uses European Central Bank reference rates for 21 October 2026.

TheWrap reported that the transaction closed on 4 August 2026. The investors included Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, US private equity firm Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners.