BioWare is closing after 30 years, and the next Mass Effect has been cancelled

EA has confirmed the closure of one of gaming's most influential RPG studios. For those of us who grew up with Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Neverwinter Nights, it's a particularly sad announcement.

BioWare, the studio behind Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Jade Empire and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is officially closing after more than 30 years.

Electronic Arts confirmed the decision on 21 October 2026 as part of a wider restructuring of its development studios. The next Mass Effect game, which was still in early development, has also been cancelled.

According to Bloomberg, approximately 400 positions are being cut across EA, including roughly 50 at BioWare.

In its farewell statement, BioWare thanked the players who had supported its games throughout the years, acknowledging the generations of developers and fans who helped build its legacy.

It's a pretty horrible announcement, especially for the developers affected. But as someone who has spent countless hours playing BioWare games over the years, it's also genuinely sad to see the studio go.

Growing up with BioWare

I've played a lot of BioWare games over the years, and I've absolutely loved many of them.

Dragon Age has always been my favourite franchise they've produced. The world, the characters, the lore and the decisions you had to make were what kept me coming back.

That's not to say I've loved everything they've released.

I found Dragon Age: The Veilguard pretty bland compared to its predecessors. For me, it just didn't capture what made the earlier games so enjoyable. It was disappointing, particularly after waiting so long for another entry in a franchise I love.

But that disappointment doesn't take away from how much I've enjoyed the series or how many hours I've spent exploring Thedas.

Then there's Jade Empire.

I genuinely believe Jade Empire is one of BioWare's most overlooked games. It deserved far more attention than it received, and I'm still disappointed we never got a sequel.

It's one of those games I wish more people would go back and experience, especially when talking about BioWare's history.

Mass Effect is another interesting one for me. I loved the original trilogy, but Mass Effect: Andromeda never managed to grab my attention in quite the same way. I actually never finished it.

I wanted to enjoy it as much as the previous games, but something just wasn't there for me.

And then there are the memories that have very little to do with whether a game was critically acclaimed or even whether I finished it.

I still remember staying up late during high school, playing Neverwinter Nights with friends over LAN.

We never finished it. Not even close.

But we had an absolute blast.

Looking back, those late-night sessions are probably some of my fondest memories of playing BioWare games. It wasn't about finishing the story or completing every quest. It was just a group of friends having fun playing a game together.

And that's what makes this closure hit a little harder.

A studio that wasn't perfect

I don't think there's much point pretending BioWare's more recent years were as strong as its earlier ones.

Mass Effect: Andromeda struggled to live up to the original trilogy. Anthem never became what it could have been, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard didn't meet EA's commercial expectations.

I've personally been disappointed by some of those releases, too.

But I don't think a studio's legacy should be defined entirely by its final few games.

BioWare created worlds that people genuinely cared about. Characters people still discuss years later. Stories that encouraged you to play through them again just to see how differently things could turn out.

There's a reason people still talk about Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire all these years later.

What happens next?

EA's wider restructuring places greater emphasis on fewer, larger projects, including continued investment in Battlefield, Apex Legends, Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.

Unfortunately, that future no longer includes BioWare.

The cancellation of the next Mass Effect is especially disappointing, although EA has not announced that the franchise itself is permanently finished.

For now, it's the end of a studio responsible for some truly memorable games.

I'm disappointed we won't get to see what BioWare could have done next. I'm disappointed Jade Empire never got another chance. And despite my feelings about The Veilguard, I would have loved to see another Dragon Age eventually bring the series back to what made me fall in love with it in the first place.

More importantly, I hope the developers affected by this closure land on their feet.

BioWare wasn't perfect, and not every game was a winner.

But I had a hell of a lot of fun playing them.

And I'll always appreciate that.