Electronic Arts shuts down iconic Canadian developer BioWare.
As first reported by Bloomberg, this comes as part of EA’s broader cuts of 400 jobs, including about 50 at the beloved Edmonton-based developer. It also follows that EA will go private in August following an acquisition backed by Saudi Arabia and other investors. As part of that deal, EA took on billions in debt, which led it to come up with a cost-cutting plan, in part by reducing research and development costs.
BioWare confirmed the closure on social media:
— BioWare (@bioware) October 21, 2026
The studio had been working on an untitled one mass effect Play that Bloomberg Reports were still in “early development” but has since been cancelled. BioWare’s last game was 2024 Dragon Age: The Veilguardwhich received generally positive reviews, but did not live up to EA’s expectations.
BioWare was founded in 1995 by University of Alberta doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. The studio went on to produce many beloved and influential RPGs, including the Dungeons & Dragons-based Neverwinter nights in the Baldur’s Gate in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as well as original properties such as mass effect in the Dragon Age.
However, the studio has struggled in recent years, with most of its original talent leaving to join other studios. 2019 and Antheman original sci-fi Fate-style multiplayer game, had an extended and troubled development cycle and ultimately underperformed. BioWare then worked for several years Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which was a similarly turbulent production. Over the past few years, EA has since fired many BioWare employees who weren’t already gone, leaving the famed studio a shell of its former self.
Image credit: EA