EA Is Closing BioWare and Cancelling the Next Mass Effect Game
Electronic Arts is closing its BioWare studio and cancelling the next Mass Effect game, according to Video Games Chronicle. The news came in a letter to staff on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, which Bloomberg also published that day.
The letter was written by EA Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber. According to a person familiar with the company's plans, EA will cut around 400 jobs, about 3% of its total staff, including roughly 50 at BioWare. The next Mass Effect game was in early development at the studio and is among the projects being cut.
BioWare was already much smaller than it once was. Bloomberg has reported that the studio was down to fewer than 100 employees after Dragon Age: The Veilguard shipped, when the team turned its full focus to Mass Effect. The studio's earlier games had a rough run. Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) and Anthem (2019) were both critically panned, according to Bloomberg's coverage of the studio.
Bloomberg's June 2025 report on the Dragon Age situation also said there had been rumours that BioWare could face consequences if that game underperformed. The Veilguard's results are the context for that reporting, and the staff letter now points to a wider set of changes at the studio.
The studio's future had also been tied to a bigger deal. In late September 2025, EA announced an agreement to be acquired by PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners for US$55 billion. Shareholders were set to receive US$210 per share.
Weeks after that agreement, BioWare and EA said they remained committed to making the next Mass Effect game. Metro reported in November 2025 that EA had confirmed Mass Effect 5 was not cancelled, and that BioWare described it as the studio's main priority. Video Games Chronicle now reports that the project is being cancelled.
For players, the practical result is simple. The next Mass Effect game will not be made at BioWare, and the staff who were working on it are being let go or moved. For the people involved, the letter is the start of a difficult period, and the 400-role figure is the company's own scale of the cuts, not a total for the whole industry.
