EA closes BioWare: new Mass Effect cancelled, Dragon Age frozen
On October 21, 2026, Electronic Arts announced the closure of BioWare, the studio that gave the industry Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Mass Effect trilogy and the Dragon Age series. According to journalist Jason Schreier, the publisher made no attempts to sell the studio before disbanding.
What will happen to franchises?
Development of the new Mass Effect has officially been canceled, and Dragon Age has been put on hold. At the same time, the film adaptation of Mass Effect from Amazon MGM Studios, according to IGN, continues production despite the closure of the studio. Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah does not rule out that EA will put Mass Effect and Dragon Age up for sale.
End of an era
- 1995 - BioWare founded in Canada; EA bought the studio in 2007 for $860 million along with Pandemic.
- 2026 - EA undergoes a deep restructuring: in the spring the company laid off more than a thousand employees, and in the summer it became part of an investment consortium controlled by the Saudi fund PIF.
- Legacy - Anthem, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Dragon Age: The Veilguard have had a rough ride in recent years, but the studio's classic RPGs are still considered benchmarks for the genre.
The closure of BioWare was one of the most high-profile events of the fall: in recent months, the industry has already experienced a change in the management of Microsoft Gaming and the merger of Warner Bros. Games with Paramount.
Source: instant-gaming.com