EA Reportedly Shut Down BioWare to Fund Star Wars Battlefront III Instead of New Mass Effect

The abrupt closure of iconic RPG developer BioWare by Electronic Arts last week officially terminated production on the anticipated fifth installment of the Mass Effect franchise. In the wake of this studio shutdown, the gaming community has caught glimpses of what might have been—including a leaked promotional teaser hinting at the official title Mass Effect Universe, alongside early musical compositions from Grammy winner Austin Wintory. While players and industry analysts have spent days trying to understand why a publisher would shutter such a celebrated developer, a detailed Bloomberg report points to a single deciding factor: Star Wars.

According to the publication, following EA’s massive $55 billion transition into a private enterprise last year, leadership evaluated its future science-fiction portfolio. Faced with choosing between funding BioWare’s ongoing Mass Effect sequel or pursuing a partnership with Disney to develop Star Wars Battlefront III, executives ultimately chose the latter. Even though the next chapter in the Commander Shepard universe was already well into production, and the proposed Battlefront threequel had not yet begun development, corporate priorities shifted entirely toward the Star Wars IP, sealing BioWare’s fate—though insiders note other contributing challenges played a role as well.

Among those compounding pressures were historical missteps and underperforming releases, such as the lukewarm critical reception of 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem’s commercial struggles in 2019, and the 2024 release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite earning favorable reviews from critics, The Veilguard reportedly failed to meet internal sales projections by a staggering 50%.

Additional scrutiny surrounds the studio’s cultural legacy. BioWare built its reputation on inclusive storytelling featuring prominent LGBTQIA+ themes, which stands in stark contrast to the values of certain stakeholders now tied to Electronic Arts. Notably, a portion of EA’s acquisition capital came from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund—where same-sex relationships are strictly criminalized—alongside Affinity Partners, an investment firm managed by Jared Kushner, a prominent figure associated with political platforms critical of transgender rights. While no official statements explicitly link the studio’s closure to its progressive storytelling, industry watchdogs and reports from outlets like Kotaku have raised questions regarding corporate pressure and internal content sanitization.

At the time of its final closure, BioWare had been reduced to a skeleton crew of just 50 developers desperately trying to push the next Mass Effect across the finish line following years of systemic downsizing.

Fortunately, fans of the universe may still find new stories to explore, as Amazon’s live-action Mass Effect television adaptation remains actively in development, even if Electronic Arts has permanently grounded the franchise in the interactive space.

Source: Bloomberg