“We Knew It Would Only Get Worse After Dragon Age”: BioWare Employees Brace for the Worst Under EA’s New Owners

Some developers have already started considering where they might work after the inevitable layoffs.

Many EA employees grew anxious about their prospects after learning that a consortium of investors — including Silver Lake, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and Affinity Partners — bought the company for $55 billion. Staff fear the roughly $20 billion in debt taken on to complete the deal will be addressed primarily through cost cutting and large-scale redundancies.

The greatest concern is at BioWare’s Edmonton studio. After Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA’s expectations, the studio endured layoffs in January of this year. Even then, employees voiced worries about a potential further wave of cuts. Though that hasn’t materialized yet, many continue to work amid a sense of instability.

Several sources inside BioWare, speaking on condition of anonymity, have expressed their apprehensions. Most believe BioWare will be among the first studios targeted for new reductions once ownership changes.

The sale of EA is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, so significant changes are unlikely before April 2026. Nevertheless, some employees are already preparing to search for new positions.

Regarding Mass Effect, employees continue working on the project under the assumption it will still be released. A small team handled it earlier this year, but the project has recently been reinforced with additional resources.

Source: iXBT.games