Electronic Arts is shutting down BioWare, the legendary studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and ending work on the next Mass Effect game. The closure is part of a company-wide restructuring that cuts about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of EA's workforce, Bloomberg and Variety reported on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.
EA executives Cam Weber and David Tinson announced the changes in a memo to staff, which EA also published on its website. "BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," they wrote, according to Variety.
What did EA announce?
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| BioWare | Studio and Edmonton office closing |
| Next Mass Effect | Development ended |
| Jobs | About 400 cut, roughly 3% of EA staff |
| Star Wars: Battlefront 3 | Respawn and DICE to work on it together |
| Skate | Moving to a "more focused, smaller team" |
| Sims "Project Lotus" | Paused |
Sources: Bloomberg, Variety, PC Gamer and Mezha, as reported by tbreak.
"Over the past several months, we've taken a hard look at our business," the executives wrote, adding that "saying no to some things we're passionate about allows us to focus our teams and resources." EA said it will help affected employees explore other roles inside the company.
Is the next Mass Effect really canceled?
Yes, as things stand. BioWare first teased a new Mass Effect in 2020, and after earlier layoffs in 2025 the studio said "a core team at BioWare" was working on it. That project ends with the studio, PC Gamer and IGN reported. EA has not said whether the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series will continue elsewhere.
Why is BioWare closing now?
The cuts are EA's first major move since it went private this summer in a buyout by a consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, which PC Gamer noted left EA with about $18 billion in debt. The memo does not say whether the new owners drove the decision.
BioWare had been shrinking for years. Its last game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched in 2024, and by January 2025 the studio had fallen from more than 200 employees to fewer than 100, with many moved to other EA teams, VGC reported at the time. One employee told PC Gamer last year that the studio's closure felt like "a matter of time."
What is BioWare's legacy?
Founded in Edmonton in 1995 by doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, BioWare helped define the modern role-playing game with Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. After EA bought it in 2007, it delivered the Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age: Origins, two of the most beloved RPG series ever made, before struggling with Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem.
Its older games still have devoted communities: Ars Technica reported last week that Neverwinter Nights still has thousands of active players more than two decades after release.
"What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember," the studio said in a statement on social media.
What happens next?
Key questions remain: whether another EA studio takes over Mass Effect or Dragon Age, how many BioWare staff land other roles at EA, and when Respawn and DICE will reveal Star Wars: Battlefront 3. We will update this story as more details emerge.
