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EA shuts BioWare and cancels the next Mass Effect: one decision, three readings of it

Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and cancelling the Mass Effect game it had in early development. Eurogamer reported on 21 October that the move comes just months after EA was bought out by a group of investment firms for $55 billion.

The closure is part of a wider round of cuts. Eurogamer said EA plans to eliminate 400 roles, pause a project connected to The Sims, shrink the Skate team and bring Respawn and DICE together. Dexerto, citing Bloomberg, put about 50 of those jobs at BioWare and the total at roughly 3% of EA's workforce. It added that the buyout, led by Saudi Arabia's investment fund, closed in August and left the company with about $18 billion in debt, and that EA had told investors earlier this year it could save up to $700 million.

“Over the past several months, we've taken a hard look at our business.” — EA executives David Tinson and Cam Weber, via Dexerto

Projects that go ahead include the next Star Wars Jedi game, an Iron Man title and a new Respawn/DICE project that Bloomberg reports is likely a Star Wars Battlefront game, according to Dexerto.

How each outlet framed it

• Eurogamer — the end of a 30-year studio, placed directly against the $55bn buyout, and a second story on the company-wide cuts, headlined with EA's claim to be “the number one publisher in Western HD gaming”.
• Dexerto — the finances: the debt, the savings target, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard falling short of EA's sales expectations before staff cuts in 2025.

What we don't know yet: EA has not said what will happen to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series themselves, Dexerto noted, and it did not say where most of the 400 job cuts will fall.