22.10.2026 15:30
Canadian game studio BioWare, which won millions of fans with the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, was shut down after 31 years by a decision of its parent company Electronic Arts (EA) after its last two games failed to meet sales expectations. EA is laying off 400 people company-wide. The decision came months after EA was sold to a Saudi Arabia-led investor group for $55 billion.
According to BBC News, Canadian game studio BioWare, known for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, has been shut down after 31 years.
Founded in 1995 and winning millions of fans with its branching stories, the studio's last two games failed to meet sales expectations. Parent company Electronic Arts (EA), while laying off 400 people company-wide, announced that it had decided to shut down BioWare as well.
BioWare, which was working on a new Mass Effect game, thanked players in a statement for being "the most important part of the story" for 31 years.
FROM BALDUR'S GATE TO MASS EFFECT
The studio achieved its first major success in 1998 with Baldur's Gate, based on Dungeons and Dragons rules, and released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003. At the end of the 2000s, it reached its peak with the Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age games.
However, the multiplayer game Anthem, released in 2019, disappointed fans and critics. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released in 2024, also received lukewarm reviews attributed to its long development process.
A BIG REPERCUSSION IN THE GAMING WORLD
The closure news caused a big repercussion in the gaming world. Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, who voiced Mass Effect's main character Commander Shepard, spoke to fans in a livestream. Michal Nowakowski, co-CEO of The Witcher producer CD Projekt Red, also commented, "It's not a good day for the gaming industry."
IT HAD BEEN SOLD TO SAUDI INVESTORS
The closure came months after EA was sold to an investor group led by Saudi Arabia for $55 billion. EA announced that it would focus on fewer major projects, such as the Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi games.
Source: BBC