EA Closes BioWare, Cancels Early-Stage Mass Effect Game
publishers 69articles 76first reported 21 Oct, 14:56 UTCdeveloping since 21 Oct · 11 editions
Electronic Arts is closing BioWare’s Edmonton studio and canceling an early-stage “Mass Effect” project as part of a broader restructuring that will cut about 400 jobs, or 3% of the publisher’s workforce, according to reports citing the company and a person familiar with its plans.
Roughly 50 BioWare employees are among those affected. EA said it would help workers seek other positions within the company. The closure ends the studio behind the “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” role-playing franchises, as well as “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.”
EA said it is narrowing its slate to focus on fewer large-scale action-adventure games. Development will continue on Motive’s “Marvel’s Iron Man” and Respawn Entertainment’s next “Star Wars Jedi” title, while the team behind the skateboarding game “skate.” will be reorganized into a smaller studio. EA retains ownership of the “Mass Effect” franchise, and a live-action adaptation remains in development at Prime Video, IGN reported.
After the shutdown, footage from the canceled game appeared online. IGN and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed that the roughly two-minute internal trailer was authentic, Ars Technica reported. Labeled as in-engine footage made with pre-production assets, it showed an N7 officer meeting an Asari in a bar before a firefight involving weapons and mass-effect abilities.
The changes follow EA’s August privatization in a $55 billion deal led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 3 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 48 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- This version written
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