EA Closing Legendary RPG Developer BioWare as Part of Fresh Layoffs

EA to Cut Around 400 Jobs and Close BioWare, the Studio Behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age

Electronic Arts is preparing another wave of layoffs that will remove about 400 positions, according to a new report from Bloomberg. As part of the restructuring, the publisher will also shut down BioWare, its longtime role-playing game developer.

Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reports that the reductions affect roughly three percent of EA’s workforce, including about 50 people at BioWare. In a letter to employees issued today, COO David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber said the company had taken a “hard look at our business.” The review led to several projects being scrapped, among them the next Mass Effect.

The letter explains that a small BioWare team had been handling early development on a new Mass Effect while the company concentrated on bigger priorities. EA has chosen not to continue that work, and as a result it is closing the studio along with its Edmonton office. The executives called BioWare a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and said the decision was not made lightly.

Elsewhere at EA, work will carry on across sports, shooters such as Apex Legends, and Star Wars, including the upcoming Jedi game. The publisher is also developing a new Iron Man game, has more Battlefield on the horizon, and is planning a fresh collaboration between Respawn and DICE. According to the staff letter, one planned Sims project will be shelved in favor of a different effort, and Skate will continue in development with a smaller team.

Earlier this year, EA was fully acquired by a consortium of investors that includes Silver Lake, Affinity Partners, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which moved the formerly public company into private hands. When the deal was announced, chairman and CEO Andrew Wilson said EA was beginning this new chapter from a position of strength alongside partners who share its vision and ambition. He added that the company would invest boldly, accelerate innovation, and build the next generation of games and experiences for the hundreds of millions of players and fans who inspire it every day.

BioWare also confirmed the closure in a statement on social media. It reflected on the games it created: Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Anthem. The studio said its immediate focus is on supporting one another through the transition.

The statement continued by saying that what generations of BioWare developers built together deserves to be celebrated and remembered. It noted that the games meant more because players debated their choices, grew attached to the characters, and made the worlds their own, and it closed by thanking fans for being the most meaningful part of the studio’s story.

That legacy is exactly what BioWare was known for: a remarkable body of role-playing games in which choices, characters, and memorable moments carried real weight. The studio began with D&D-inspired adventures and later led the way in console RPG design with KOTOR, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. Few Western RPG developers can claim a legacy of comparable size.

Even so, the studio’s history was often turbulent. The disappointing launches of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem dented BioWare’s spotless reputation among some fans. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the studio’s latest and final release, was received more warmly by critics, though it endured a decade of troubled development. Internal conflict surrounding these sprawling RPGs was frequently reported on. The phrase “BioWare magic,” which described how the studio’s games would finally come together in the last stretch of development, grew more contentious over time.

Still, there is no disputing the role BioWare played in shaping the genre. A list of its past games hardly captures its impact, as the influence of Mass Effect and Dragon Age alone continues to echo today. Other studios have since picked up the torch and added their own twists to companion-driven stories where choices matter, yet a distinct sense of “BioWare” remains in those interactions and moments that is difficult to shake.

Layoffs have become painfully routine, with cuts to celebrated teams announced at a relentless pace. Setting news-writing convention aside, I always hoped that in all my years covering this industry, I would never have to write a eulogy for a studio like BioWare. It helped shape my own love of games, and I’m sure it did the same for countless others. Its developers worked long hours under one roof to create stories that stayed with us for years. I’m grateful for that, and I hope everyone affected finds a new home that rewards their talents.

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