EA closes BioWare, maker of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, after 31 years
Electronic Arts shut the Canadian role-playing game studio as part of 400 job cuts, after its last two games missed sales expectations.
BioWare, the Canadian studio behind the science-fiction series Mass Effect and the fantasy saga Dragon Age, has been closed by its owner Electronic Arts after 31 years. EA announced the decision as part of 400 job cuts across the company, saying the studio's last two releases had not met sales expectations.
Founded in 1995, BioWare built a following of millions with complex role-playing games whose stories branch according to players' choices. Its breakthrough came in 1998 with Baldur's Gate, based on Dungeons & Dragons rules, followed in the late 2000s by the Mass Effect trilogy and the first Dragon Age games. Mass Effect in particular is credited with a lasting influence on the industry for its ambitious storytelling and its inclusion of same-sex relationships.
The studio's fortunes faded as it moved towards multiplayer gaming with Anthem in 2019, which disappointed players and critics. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released in 2024 after a long and troubled development, drew lukewarm reviews, with long-time fans complaining it lacked the difficult moral choices of earlier games.
BioWare had been working on a new Mass Effect game. In a farewell message, the studio thanked players for "being the most important part of the story" throughout its history.