BioWare Shutting Down, Next Mass Effect Canceled

BioWare is shutting down and the next Mass Effect game is canceled, according to a new report.

Bloomberg said Mass Effect shuts down amid mass layoffs at Electronic Arts, which amount to 400 people losing their jobs. Roughly 50 of these roles were at BioWare.

EA will continue with sports games, Respawn's Apex Legends, action-adventure games (Star Wars: Jedi 3 and Marvel's Iron Man), and Battlefield. Bloomberg said Respawn and DICE are likely working on Star Wars: Battlefront 3, as had been rumored.

In a memo sent to staff today, Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO, described itself as "the number one publisher in Western HD gaming, but "our industry is changing quickly."

"Players have more choices than ever for their time and attention, competition is intensifying, and some of our biggest opportunities for growth are beyond the markets, platforms, and business models where EA has traditionally been the strongest," they said.

EA reacted to this by "concentrating our teams, technology, and investment" behind three strategic priorities: "Deepen Our Core; "Expand Our Reach;" and "Transform Our Business."

"Our greatest opportunity starts with our franchises and global communities that have made EA a leader in interactive entertainment," the pair continued. "This is where we’ve had to make our hardest choices. 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."

Last year's Battlefield 6 was a "great success." Future Battlefield games are on the way, as well as the Respawn and DICE collaboration project that is believed to be Star Wars: Battlefront 3. EA said it will also continue to "invest heavily" in Respawn's battle royale, Apex Legends, over the next few years by introducing brand new gameplay modes in multiplayer, and "other new experiences, to expand the universe."

Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game live on, but expect "fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects," in the action-adventure genre from EA. And here's the official blurb on the end of BioWare and Mass Effect:

As we focus on these larger opportunities, we've had a small team at BioWare working on early-development for Mass Effect. We've made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace. BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly.

EA Sports will of course continue the FC franchise. Two new projects are in development which are due to be revealed in the next few months: "a brand-new, social-first open-world experience for our American Football team that we call 'Project Gridiron,' and we are also in pre-production to bring back a beloved, fan-favorite in Fight Night, leveraging capabilities from our simulation fighting team."

The "Lifestyle," category, as EA calls it, will see Project Evergreen continue but Project Lotus paused. Both are The Sims projects. Skate, meanwhile, had "a lot of success in bringing players into the game, and we need to create an experience that keeps them engaged over the long-term. To do that, we are making changes to the studio to have a more focused, smaller team to deliver on a very clear roadmap for our community that we believe will build a healthier and more sustainable business."

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