Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and ending work on the next Mass Effect game. EA confirmed both in a letter to employees that it published on its newsroom on October 21, 2026. BioWare posted its own farewell on X minutes later. Bloomberg reports that about 400 jobs will go across EA.
EA’s letter puts it plainly: “As we focus on these larger opportunities, we’ve had a small team at BioWare working on early-development for Mass Effect. We’ve made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace. BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024) turned out to be BioWare's final release. Image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
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BioWare closing: how many jobs are affected, and where
EA’s published letter gives no headcount. The numbers come from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. A person familiar with EA’s plans told Bloomberg that about 400 employees will be laid off, or roughly 3% of EA’s workforce. That figure includes about 50 people at BioWare.
- Company-wide or BioWare only? Company-wide, according to Bloomberg. Gematsu, VGC and Push Square report it the same way. One Insider Gaming story says the BioWare closure is “affecting 400 jobs”. That doesn’t match Bloomberg’s breakdown, and Insider Gaming’s own main report uses the company-wide figure.
- Edmonton and Austin: EA’s letter names only “our Edmonton workspace”. It doesn’t mention Austin, which BioWare’s X profile still lists as a location. Neither EA nor BioWare has published staff numbers for either office. The figure of about 50 BioWare staff is Bloomberg’s and isn’t split by city.
- Help for affected staff: EA says it “will support impacted employees in exploring other opportunities within EA.”
Is Mass Effect cancelled?
The next Mass Effect is cancelled. It was announced in 2020 and was still in early development. BioWare’s statement on X says: “Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.” It adds: “Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.” Insider Gaming reports that the project won’t move to another EA studio. EA hasn’t said what happens to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series from here. Existing games such as Mass Effect Legendary Edition aren’t mentioned in the announcement.
What else EA is cutting or keeping
The same letter says EA is “pausing development” on a Sims project called Project Lotus to focus on Project Evergreen. Bloomberg and Kotaku describe Lotus as cancelled. EA also plans to make the skate. team smaller. Projects that continue include Marvel’s Iron Man, the next Star Wars Jedi game, future Battlefield games, Apex Legends and EA Sports. Respawn and DICE will also work together on an unannounced shooter. The letter calls Battlefield 6 (recently free to play for a weekend) “a great success”.
Garrus in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the 2021 remaster of the original trilogy. Image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
BioWare’s history and recent cuts
Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk founded BioWare in Edmonton in 1995. The studio made Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. EA bought it in 2007. Its last game was Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released in late 2024. VGC says the game got mostly positive reviews. EA later said it had “engaged” about 1.5 million players in its first two months, nearly half of what the company expected.
This is not the first round of cuts at the studio. According to PC Gamer, BioWare laid off about 50 people in August 2023. In January 2025, general manager Gary McKay said a core team would make the next Mass Effect and that “we don’t require support from the full studio.” Many developers moved to other EA teams, and some roles were cut.
The closure comes about two months after EA went private in a $55 billion buyout led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Polygon and VGC note that the deal left EA with about $18 billion in debt and a pledge to cut $700 million in yearly costs. EA’s letter doesn’t link the closure to the buyout. It comes a week after Ubisoft said it would close RedLynx.
What’s next
EA told staff that leaders will answer questions about specific teams directly, and that its direction will be discussed at the next Global Town Hall in November. We’ll update this story if EA or BioWare shares headcounts by office or more on the Mass Effect series.
Sources: EA, “Building EA’s Next Chapter”; BioWare on X; Bloomberg; Gematsu; Insider Gaming; Kotaku; VGC; Polygon; PC Gamer.
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Featured image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
