Electronic Arts reportedly shut down BioWare last week, ceasing development on an untitled fifth Mass Effect game. According to a Bloomberg report, this decision stemmed from an opportunity to develop Star Wars Battlefront III with Disney. EA allegedly chose to invest resources into the Battlefront threequel, which had not yet entered development, over BioWare's in-progress Mass Effect sequel.
Bloomberg's sources indicate that this was not the sole reason for BioWare's closure. Other contributing factors cited include the poor reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017, the commercial failure of Anthem in 2019, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which reportedly missed EA's sales expectations by 50% despite positive critical reviews. The report also touches on the sensitive issue of EA's partial ownership by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners, founded by Jared Kushner, both entities linked to governments with policies perceived as discriminatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community. While no official statement links BioWare's progressive stance on LGBTQIA+ representation to its closure, the report suggests it's a point of consideration, particularly in light of past reports about EA allegedly pressuring BioWare to downplay diversity in game demos.
At the time of its closure, only 50 employees remained at BioWare, focused on the next Mass Effect installment, following years of layoffs. Meanwhile, a Mass Effect television series is reportedly still in development at Amazon, even as EA appears to have ended the video game series' development.
EA initially acquired BioWare in 2007 with the intention of developing the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG.