BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is closing. EA has also stopped work on the next Mass Effect game, which was still in early development.
The studio confirmed the news in a statement on its blog and social media on October 21, 2026: "BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending." BioWare said its focus right now is on supporting its team through the transition.
In a letter to EA staff, executives Cam Weber and David Tinson wrote that only a small team at BioWare had been working on the new Mass Effect. EA chose not to move forward with it, and that decision means closing the studio along with its office in Edmonton, Canada.
The closure is part of a bigger round of cuts. According to Bloomberg, EA is laying off around 400 people, including about 50 at BioWare. The letter itself did not include a number.
What this means for Mass Effect and Dragon Age
The next Mass Effect was first teased in 2020, and little of it has been shown since. In 2025, after layoffs at the studio, BioWare said a core team was still working on the game. BioWare's most recent release was Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024.
BioWare was founded in 1995. Over three decades it made the original Baldur's Gate games, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic and both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. For a studio whose games were built around player choices, this is a sad and sudden end.
Neither EA nor BioWare has said what happens to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series now.
What EA is focusing on instead
According to the staff letter, EA will keep investing in its sports games, Battlefield and Apex Legends. It also named two big upcoming action games: a new Star Wars Jedi title and Marvel's Iron Man.
Two other EA studios, Respawn and DICE, will team up on an unannounced project. Respawn is also making the next Star Wars Jedi game. According to Variety, the joint project is Star Wars: Battlefront 3. EA has not confirmed the title.
