EA closes BioWare, cancels the next Mass Effect and cuts about 400 jobs

Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and the next Mass Effect game has been cancelled as a result. The announcement came on October 21 alongside a wider round of layoffs and a reshuffle of EA's studios.

If you follow RPGs, this is the biggest news of the day. If you play EA's shooters or sports games, the company's new direction matters too.

BioWare shuts down

BioWare confirmed the closure itself in a statement on social media. "There is nothing easy about writing these words," the studio said, according to GameSpot. Pure Xbox reports that the statement named Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age among the series the studio worked on. Eurogamer notes the closure follows over three decades of RPGs and comes months after EA's $55 billion buyout.

Polygon and IGN both report that the new Mass Effect is cancelled. PC Gamer says Bloomberg also reports cuts of "around 400 jobs" across the company.

The wider layoffs

Push Square says the cuts will include roughly 50 roles at BioWare. GameSpot adds that, per Bloomberg, about 350 more jobs go elsewhere, and a person familiar with the matter put the total at 3% of EA. Gematsu also covered the 400-person layoff. EA said in a statement that laying off staff was a "difficult" choice, per GameSpot.

Eurogamer reports the changes go beyond BioWare:

• A project connected to The Sims is being paused. Eurogamer's headline calls it a cancelled, unannounced project, while GameSpot describes it as a paused new Sims game.
• The Skate team is being trimmed.
• Respawn and DICE are being brought together.

Respawn and DICE, and a Battlefront report

EA's memo says Apex Legends studio Respawn and Battlefield maker DICE are collaborating on a project. Per GameSpot, Variety, citing "multiple sources," reports that project is Star Wars Battlefront 3. Push Square notes nothing has been officially confirmed, and GameSpot says EA did not confirm it either. Treat Battlefront 3 as a report, not an announcement.

What it signals

Many expected major changes after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund acquired EA, GameSpot notes, and this is the first wave of them. PC Gamer reads EA's "next chapter" plan as favoring shooters and football while everything else faces scrutiny.