Overview
- BioWare announced on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, that the studio will close and early development on the next Mass Effect project has ended.
- EA will cut roughly 400 jobs across the company, including about 50 roles at BioWare, according to an internal letter reviewed by Bloomberg.
- Executives say the moves follow the $55 billion sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the roughly $18 billion of debt that prompted a company-wide review and a refocus on proven franchises.
- Several internal projects were canceled or reprioritized, including a Sims title codenamed Project Lotus while work shifts to Project Evergreen, and some teams such as the Skate developers will be downsized rather than closed.
- The shutdown closes a studio founded in 1995 that built Baldur’s Gate, KOTOR, Dragon Age and Mass Effect and follows recent commercial misses that left BioWare vulnerable, a change that will displace veteran developers and reshape EA’s development priorities.