EA reportedly favored Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect

Electronic Arts chose to prioritize a prospective Star Wars: Battlefront 3 over BioWare’s Mass Effect Universe project, a decision that contributed to the studio’s closure and the cancellation of the planned game, according to reporting by Jason Schreier. The account says EA executives weighed the two projects while facing financial pressure and judged the Star Wars game to be the safer investment. EA has not publicly confirmed that Battlefront 3 was the specific reason for BioWare’s closure. Schreier said his reporting drew on conversations with people familiar with strategy at EA and BioWare. He reported that both projects were expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and that Battlefront 3 had not entered development when executives considered the choice. Mass Effect Universe, meanwhile, remained in early development. EA said it reached its decision after months of planning, review and analysis, considering business conditions, industry dynamics and long-term priorities. The company did not detail how those considerations weighed against one another. Its statement confirms a broad review, rather than the specific project trade-off described in Schreier’s account....