Electronic Arts to Close BioWare, Cancel Next Mass Effect and Cut About 400 Jobs
publishers 64articles 68first reported 21 Oct, 14:56 UTCdeveloping since 21 Oct · 8 editionstop 25 #6
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare, ending development of the studio’s next *Mass Effect* game and cutting about 400 jobs across the company as it narrows its slate of projects.
EA confirmed Wednesday that the early-stage *Mass Effect* project had been canceled and BioWare’s Edmonton office would close. Bloomberg reported that the broader layoffs represent about 3% of EA’s workforce and include roughly 50 BioWare employees. EA said it would help affected workers explore other opportunities within the company.
“BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly,” EA executives Cam Weber and David Tinson wrote in a staff memo.
Founded in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, BioWare developed role-playing series including *Mass Effect* and *Dragon Age*, as well as *Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic*. Its latest release, *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, fell short of EA’s sales expectations.
EA also plans to reduce the size of the team behind *skate.* and pause a Sims project code-named Project Lotus while prioritizing Project Evergreen. The publisher said work will continue on *Marvel’s Iron Man*, the next *Star Wars Jedi* game, *Apex Legends* and the *Battlefield* franchise. Respawn and DICE will collaborate on another project.
The restructuring follows EA’s August privatization in a $55 billion leveraged buyout led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 6 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 24 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 64
- Source articles
- 68
- Given to the writer
- 8, 6 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 24 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →