BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, is closing as Electronic Arts (EA) cuts around 400 jobs across the company.
Founded in 1995 by doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, BioWare built a reputation as one of the most influential role-playing game (RPG) developers, creating classics such as the original Baldur’s Gate games, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, alongside the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises.
In a statement published on social media, the studio reflected on its legacy and thanked players for their support.
“What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember,” the studio said.
“These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.”
BioWare established itself as a major name in PC gaming during the 1990s and early 2000s. Electronic Arts acquired the studio in 2007, after which it strengthened its position in the mainstream RPG market with the Mass Effect trilogy and the first Dragon Age games.
However, the studio struggled to maintain its earlier success. Mass Effect: Andromeda, released in 2017 as a follow-up to the original trilogy, received a less favourable response than its predecessors. BioWare then ventured into live-service shooters with Anthem in 2019, but the game failed to attract a lasting audience.
Anthem has since become widely regarded as a major management failure during the live-service gaming boom. Its servers were finally shut down earlier this year.
BioWare’s most recent release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched in 2024 but also fell short of expectations. EA described the game’s performance as having “underperformed”.
The studio’s closure comes after a major ownership change at its parent company. Last year, EA announced plans to be acquired by a consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. Affinity Partners is owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. The acquisition was finalised this August.
The proposed takeover raised concerns among some BioWare employees and outside observers about the studio’s future. One employee said last year that its closure felt like “a matter of time”.
The next Mass Effect instalment, first teased in 2020, was expected to bring back characters from the original trilogy. In 2025, following layoffs at the studio, BioWare said that “a core team at BioWare” was working on the project.
EA is also laying off around 400 employees across the company, according to Bloomberg.
In a letter to employees, which EA published on its website, the company explained that it would prioritise selected projects and redirect resources towards its biggest opportunities.
“Saying no to some things we’re passionate about allows us to focus our teams and resources so we give our biggest opportunities everything they need to succeed,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by EA chief studios officer Cam Weber, who until recently led EA Sports, and EA chief operating officer David Tinson.
