BioWare Shuts Down As EA Cancels Next Mass Effect Game Amid 400 Layoffs

In some super-sad news for the video game world, BioWare is officially shutting down, and publisher Electronic Arts is also stopping production on the already-announced next Mass Effect.

The news came as EA said a company restructuring led to 400 job losses, about 3% of its global workforce.

This is EA’s first major move since the company went private earlier this year after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, acquired it. 

In a memo obtained by Variety, President Cam Weber and Chief Studios Officer David Tinson said:

“Over the past several months, we’ve taken a hard look at our business, how we operate, and what it will take to lead in this next era of interactive entertainment […]. We’ve made the decision not to move forward (with Mass Effect), which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace. BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly.”

The next entry in the Mass Effect series was teased at the 2020 The Game Awards show with a teaser featuring Liara, a character from the original first three games in the series.

After the news broke, an apparently internal trailer for Mass Effect 5 was leaked online to Reddit. It ends with the title Mass Effect: Universe, but it’s unclear whether that was the game’s actual name.

Mass Effect: Universe Trailer
byu/Random_Hyabusa_Ninja inmasseffect

BioWare took to social media to share its goodbye message alongside the EA news, saying, “BioWare is closing, and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”

pic.twitter.com/TicSujMWps

— BioWare (@bioware) October 21, 2026

How do you feel about BioWare, a pillar of the video game industry and a studio that helped redefine western RPGs, being shut down? Let me know in the comments section below.