EA shuts down BioWare, cancels next Mass Effect game

Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and cancelling the next Mass Effect game. The company is also cutting about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of its global workforce, in its first major restructuring since it went private this summer. Bloomberg was first to report the cuts. Citing a person familiar with the plans, it said about 50 of the lost jobs are at BioWare.variety.com+1

EA laid out the changes on Wednesday, October 21, in a memo from Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO. "We've taken a hard look at our business, how we operate, and what it will take to lead in this next era of interactive entertainment," they wrote.variety.com

Mass Effect project ends

The executives said a small BioWare team had been working on an early version of a new Mass Effect. EA decided not to continue it, "which means we're closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace." They added, "BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly". EA said it will help affected employees look for other jobs inside the company.theverge.com

BioWare said goodbye in a post on social media. "Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending," the studio wrote. The studio was founded in 1995 and also made the original Baldur's Gate games. Its latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, sold below expectations, and EA made deep cuts at the studio afterward.qz.com+2

Respawn and DICE join forces

The memo called Battlefield 6 "a great success." It said Respawn and DICE will work together on a future project alongside new Battlefield games. The memo did not name the project, but Variety reported that multiple sources confirmed it is Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for Lucasfilm The Walt Disney Company ↗ 0.14%. EA will keep investing in Apex Legends and still plans to release Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.variety.com

There are other changes too. EA is pausing work on Project Lotus, a Sims project, to focus on Project Evergreen. It is also shrinking the team behind skate.. At EA Sports, the company is developing an open-world American football game called Project Gridiron and has started early work on bringing back Fight Night.qz.com+1

Cuts follow $55 billion buyout

The cuts come about two months after EA closed its $55 billion all-cash buyout on August 4. The buyers were Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. According to Bloomberg, the deal left EA with about $18 billion in debt. Earlier this year, the company told investors it could save as much as $700 million, partly by spending less on research and development. EA has not said what will happen to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises now that BioWare is closing.dexerto.com+2