BioWare closing Mass Effect project ends studio’s 30-year run
Says it is closing after more than three decades and ending early development on its next Mass Effect project. The announcement follows EA’s $55 billion…
BioWare is closing after more than three decades, ending early development on its next Mass Effect project and bringing an abrupt halt to work on one of the studio’s defining franchises. The announcement follows Electronic Arts’ $55 billion buyout by a group of investment firms.
The closure puts BioWare’s team through a transition as the studio winds down. Separately, Bloomberg reported that EA plans to cut roughly 400 jobs across the company, or around 3 percent of its total workforce.
BioWare announced the closure on social media, describing the studio as a home for storytellers, developers and players. It named Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Anthem among its past games.
“Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending,” the studio said. “There is nothing easy about writing those words.”
The statement said BioWare’s immediate focus was on its team and supporting colleagues through the transition. It also thanked players for shaping the studio’s games through their choices, discussions and connection to the characters.
EA job cuts and the next Mass Effect game
EA’s planned job reductions were reported by Bloomberg. In a letter to staff seen by the news organization, CEO David Tinson and CSO Cam Weber said the company was aligning talent and investment with areas they viewed as offering the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth.
“Across our portfolio, we're making deliberate choices to align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth,” the executives said.
The buyout was led by investment firm Silver Lake, private equity group Affinity Partners and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which together raised $55 billion to acquire EA, according to Eurogamer. The studio closure comes months after that transaction.
BioWare had faced difficulties in recent years. The studio’s live-service game Anthem quickly faltered, while its latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, did not meet EA’s internal sales expectations, Eurogamer reported. That shortfall led to another round of layoffs at the developer.
The next Mass Effect project had not entered full production, according to Eurogamer. The game was sometimes called Mass Effect 5 by fans, but the studio’s announcement described it as the next Mass Effect project and said its early development was ending.
BioWare’s closing statement ended with thanks to the players who made its fictional worlds their own. EA’s reported company-wide plan is to cut roughly 400 jobs, or around 3 percent of its workforce.
Source: eurogamer.net
