EA closes BioWare, maker of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and cuts 400 jobs
Electronic Arts is shutting the 31-year-old studio and cancelling the next Mass Effect game, two months after a $55 billion Saudi-led buyout took the company private.
At a glance
- Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the Canadian studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, after more than 30 years.
- The next Mass Effect game, in early development, has been cancelled; EA is cutting about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of staff, including about 50 at BioWare.
- A Sims project called Project Lotus was also cancelled, and the skate team will be reduced.
- The cuts come two months after a $55 billion buyout led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took EA private.
Electronic Arts (EA) is closing BioWare, the Canadian studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age role-playing games, and has cancelled the next Mass Effect game. The company announced on Wednesday, October 21 that it is cutting about 400 jobs, around 3% of its workforce, two months after a Saudi-led buyout took it private.
What EA announced
| Change | Details |
|---|---|
| BioWare (Edmonton, Canada) | Closing; about 50 staff affected |
| Next Mass Effect game | Cancelled (early development) |
| Project Lotus (a Sims game) | Cancelled; EA will focus on another Sims project, "Project Evergreen" |
| skate | Continues with a smaller team |
| Respawn and DICE | Teaming up on a new project, reported to be a Star Wars Battlefront game |
| Continuing | Next Star Wars Jedi game, Marvel's Iron Man, EA Sports titles, Apex Legends, Battlefield |
| Total job cuts | About 400, roughly 3% of staff |
In a letter to staff, EA's chief operating officer David Tinson and chief studios officer Cam Weber said the company had spent months taking "a hard look" at its business.
BioWare's history
BioWare was founded in 1995 in Edmonton by doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk and made some of the best-loved role-playing games of the 2000s, including Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age: Origins. EA bought the studio in 2007.
Its later games struggled. Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) and the online shooter Anthem (2019) were poorly reviewed, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024) missed EA's sales targets, leading to staff cuts in 2025. In a farewell message, BioWare said the studio had been a home for "storytellers, developers, and the players".
Background: the $55 billion buyout
EA was taken private in August 2026 in a $55 billion leveraged buyout led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, alongside private equity investors — the largest buyout of its kind. The deal added about $18 billion in debt to EA. Earlier this year the company told investors it had found up to $700 million in savings, partly by cutting research and development.
Reactions
Players and developers reacted with dismay online, with many calling the closure the end of an era for story-driven games. EA has not said what will happen to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age names, which it still owns.
Why it matters
The closure is one of the biggest in the games industry's long wave of layoffs since 2023, and a sign of how the new owners want EA to focus on its biggest money-makers — sports games such as EA Sports FC, Battlefield and Apex Legends. For millions of fans worldwide, including a large gaming community in Pakistan, India and the Gulf, it means no new Mass Effect game is in the works for now.
What happens next
EA has not given a closing date for the Edmonton studio. Fans will watch whether EA licenses or revives the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series with another studio, and for an official announcement of the Respawn–DICE Star Wars project.
Questions people are asking
Is BioWare shutting down?
Yes. Electronic Arts announced on October 21, 2026 that it is closing BioWare, the Edmonton-based studio founded in 1995 that made Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate.
Is Mass Effect 5 cancelled?
The next Mass Effect game, which a small team at BioWare had in early development, has been cancelled. EA has not said what will happen to the Mass Effect series in future.
How many people did EA lay off in October 2026?
About 400 people, roughly 3% of EA's workforce, including around 50 at BioWare.
