BioWare, the studio behind the Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, is set to be shut down. On Wednesday, October 21, it confirmed this in an official statement, and with the studio, early development of a new Mass Effect game is also coming to an end.
The studio announced the news on its account on X. The statement said that after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing, and early work on the next project in the Mass Effect series is wrapping up. The authors added that they are currently focused on supporting the team.
Part of Larger Layoffs at EA
The decision is part of cuts across the entire company. According to Bloomberg, Electronic Arts is laying off about 400 people, or roughly 3% of its workforce, including around 50 at BioWare. According to Push Square, a memo to employees was sent by Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and studio head Cam Weber. In it, they wrote that the company had "looked closely at its business" and that some projects had been cancelled. The office in Edmonton, Canada, will also be closed.
VideoCardz notes that the cuts follow EA’s takeover by private investors in August 2026. The deal was valued at $55 billion and was backed, among others, by Saudi Arabia’s PIF fund. This is secondary reporting, so the causal link to the takeover is the media’s assessment, not an EA statement.
Mass Effect Without a Successor
The new Mass Effect was announced in 2020, but it never received a title or release date. It was known mainly from a short teaser featuring Liara T’Soni. After the release of "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" in 2024, the studio was expected to focus on this project. As late as November 2025, executive producer Mike Gamble insisted that work was ongoing.
According to the statement, the project was in an early phase, and instead of being handed to another team, it has been ended. EA retains the rights to the franchise. It is unknown whether, and when, it will return in some form. The company has not announced any such plans.
The Road to Closure
BioWare was founded in 1995. It built its reputation on games such as Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and later on the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. Recent years brought weaker results. According to TheGamer, the studio’s image was affected by the difficult launches of "Mass Effect: Andromeda", "Anthem" and "Dragon Age: The Veilguard". "Anthem" was shut down, while "Mass Effect Legendary Edition", released in 2021, was well received.
What It Means for Players
There will be no new Mass Effect. Released games, including "Mass Effect Legendary Edition" and "Dragon Age: The Veilguard", remain available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, but EA has not said in its statements what their continued support will look like. The number of people laid off is reported differently: Bloomberg cites about 50 BioWare employees, and as of publication EA has not provided an official breakdown.
