Studio Closure and Franchise History
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare and its Edmonton studio, according to a recent letter to employees, which confirms that early development on the next Mass Effect game has also been canceled. The studio was behind Mass Effect and other popular franchises such as Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur’s Gate during its 31-year history. EA is focusing on Battlefield, Iron Man, and a Fight Night revival instead.
https://t.co/TicSujMWpsOctober 21, 2026
Development History and Acquisition
BioWare had a small team working on early development of the next Mass Effect game, but the company decided not to move forward with this development. BioWare was acquired by EA in 2008, and EA itself went private in August. The next game in the series was first announced in November 2020. In 2021, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster of the original trilogy was released. Since then, the studio has been relatively quiet except for Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024.
Corporate Priorities
EA focused on three priorities: Deepen Our Core, Expand Our Reach, and Transform Our Business. Battlefield is touted as a success as the company focuses on Apex Legends modes, Marvel’s Iron Man, and the next Star Wars Jedi game. A Fight Night revival is currently in pre-production, and the company also intends to prioritize efforts on The Sims.
Impacted employees will be supported in exploring other opportunities within EA. EA did not give a job count, and neither the Mass Effect nor the Dragon Age series was officially declared dead, though BioWare’s released games were not mentioned in the update.
Sales Reception
Veilguard engaged only about 1.5 million players during its launch quarter, which fell short of expectations. That reception may have played a partial role in the decision, though EA did not explicitly state so. Around the same time, BioWare management noted that only a core team was working on the next Mass Effect game without requiring support from the full studio.
The move follows a broader trend of job cuts across the gaming industry, with other major publishers similarly downsizing teams to cope with shifting margins.
EA plans to discuss its direction and the work ahead with staff at a Global Town Hall. For now, the publisher is doubling down on core franchises and restructuring to refocus on commercially successful properties.
