EA has announced the closure of veteran RPG studio Bioware, after more than 30 years of developing iconic titles. The studio, known for its work on franchises such as Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Anthem, will cease operations. In conjunction with this announcement, Bioware confirmed that development on the next Mass Effect project has also concluded.
The decision to close Bioware was made by its parent company, EA, as part of a broader strategy to "align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth," according to an open letter from EA's Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber. This restructuring is expected to result in approximately 400 layoffs across EA, with 50 of those occurring at Bioware. Additionally, EA has cancelled a Sims project codenamed Project Lotus, prioritizing another titled Project Evergreen.
EA indicated that it will continue to invest in its sports titles, Apex Legends, Battlefield, and the upcoming Star Wars Jedi game. Reports also suggest that Dice and Respawn are collaborating on a new game, potentially a new Star Wars: Battlefront title. This news follows recent commentary from former Bioware executive producer Mark Darrah, who highlighted the financial risks associated with developing large-scale games like those Bioware has produced, citing Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: Veilguard as examples. Darrah pointed out that the considerable costs, lengthy production times, and the challenge of meeting sales targets put studios working on such ambitious projects in a precarious position.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously stated that Dragon Age: Veilguard significantly underperformed its projected player count, reaching only 1.5 million players against a target of 3 million. The studio's closure also comes in the wake of EA's $55 billion leveraged buyout in August, completed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. This acquisition took the publisher private and saddled it with significant debt. Unionized EA workers had previously warned that such a buyout could lead to layoffs aimed at appeasing investors, and while an initial round of job cuts occurred in June, this larger wave of layoffs appears to be EA's initial response to managing its new debt load.