BioWare to Close as Next Mass Effect Project Ends

BioWare is closing after more than 30 years, and early development on its next Mass Effect project is ending, the studio said in a statement published October 21. The announcement is part of a wider restructuring by parent company Electronic Arts, which is also cutting jobs across its business. The studio’s statement confirmed the closure and the end of work on the next Mass Effect project, which was in early development. It did not say that the Mass Effect franchise as a whole was permanently ending. Electronic Arts has not announced a successor studio or another game in the series. Electronic Arts executives said in an employee memo that the company was aligning its talent and investment with opportunities for players and long-term growth. The company has also said it will concentrate on fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects, while continuing work on titles including the next Star Wars Jedi game and Marvel’s Iron Man. About 400 jobs across Electronic Arts are expected to be affected, including roughly 50 at BioWare, according to estimates reported by Bloomberg and Variety. The company has not publicly given a total or a studio-by-studio breakdown. The approximately 400...