EA Announces the Closure of BioWare, the Studio Behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and Hundreds of Layoffs Following Its Saudi-Backed Acquisition

The bad news keeps coming for the video game industry, and one of its most iconic studios has reportedly fallen. BioWare, the developer that reached the top of the industry with its role-playing games, is shutting down for good.

Electronic Arts made major decisions following the completion of its $55 billion acquisition, which involved Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.

As often happens in deals of this kind, layoffs are part of the picture. Alongside the closure of the legendary studio, hundreds of employees have reportedly lost their jobs.

BioWare Closes Its Doors After 31 Years; EA Announces the Studio’s Shutdown. What Will Happen to the New Mass Effect?

One of gaming’s biggest stories, and one of its most dramatic, has come to an end. A report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier revealed the decisions EA made moments ago, including the closure of BioWare.

Founded in 1995, the studio became part of EA in 2007 and achieved worldwide recognition with the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. These sci-fi and medieval fantasy RPGs sold millions of copies and won over players around the world.

According to the report, EA sent an internal memo to employees in which Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and studio head Cam Weber explained that, after months of evaluating the business, the company had decided to close BioWare and cancel development of the next Mass Effect game.

The executives said EA would focus on its successful sports franchises, as well as Apex Legends, Battlefield, Star Wars Jedi, and a new Iron Man game. The memo stated: “Across our portfolio, we are making deliberate choices to align talent and investment where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth.”

Finally, the company reportedly confirmed that the latest round of layoffs affected more than 400 employees.

The Fall of BioWare

After achieving major success with the Mass Effect trilogy and the Dragon Age games, BioWare began facing difficulties following a series of setbacks.

The first major blow was Mass Effect: Andromeda. Expectations were high for both its quality and sales, but the game launched to mediocre reviews and numerous technical issues that ultimately sealed its fate.

The studio then released Anthem, a live-service game that arrived amid internal problems and questionable decisions. It failed almost immediately, and its servers shut down six years later with only a negligible number of players remaining.

Amid growing uncertainty, BioWare developed and released Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which proved to be a commercial failure. The studio’s survival was expected to depend on the next Mass Effect game, but that will no longer happen. BioWare is closing, and the game has been canceled.

Which Games Did BioWare Release?

From 1995 to 2026, the Canadian studio released the following video games, including several considered among the greatest of all time:

• Shattered Steel (1996)
• Baldur’s Gate (1998)
• Baldur’s Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)
• MDK2 (2000)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)
• Neverwinter Nights (2002)
• Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide (2003)
• Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (2003)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
• Jade Empire (2005)
• Mass Effect (2007)
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
• Mass Effect Galaxy (2009)
• Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
• Mass Effect 2 (2010)
• Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening (2010)
• Dragon Age II (2011)
• Dragon Age Legends (2011)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)
• Mass Effect 3 (2012)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017)
• Anthem (2019)
• Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021)
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024)

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