Electronic Arts to Shut Down BioWare, Cut 400 Jobs Company-Wide

EA to close BioWare, cut 400 jobs

Electronic Arts announced on October 21, 2026, that it is shutting down BioWare, the Edmonton-based studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect, as part of a round of roughly 400 job cuts across the company, according to Insider Gaming and RPG Site, both of which cited reporting from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier. About 50 of the cuts are at BioWare itself, with the remainder spread across other EA teams, Insider Gaming reported.

The 400 job cuts amount to roughly 3% of EA's overall workforce, according to The Gamer, which cited an internal letter from EA chief operating officer David Tinson. Tinson wrote that the company had carried out a thorough review of its business before making the decision, The Gamer reported.

What happens to Mass Effect and Dragon Age

BioWare had been working on a new, unannounced Mass Effect game that was still in early development. Insider Gaming reported that the project has been canceled outright and will not be handed to another internal EA studio. Destructoid reported that BioWare issued a statement saying it was focused on supporting departing staff.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare's most recent release, came out in 2024. The Gamer reported that EA has not issued an official statement on the franchise's future, and that some fans have voiced concern that further Dragon Age installments are now unlikely.

Outside BioWare, Insider Gaming reported that EA also canceled a project at The Sims known internally as "Project Lotus" and scaled down the development team working on the Skate series.

Why now: EA's debt-laden buyout

EA went private in August 2026 after a Saudi-led investment consortium, including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, completed a $55 billion acquisition of the company, according to The Gamer and MobileSyrup.

The buyout left EA with roughly $20 billion in debt, The Gamer reported, citing Tinson's internal letter, which said the company was aiming to cut up to $700 million in research-and-development spending. Insider Gaming reported that the BioWare closure marks the first major restructuring move since Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took over ownership of the company.

EA had previously explored selling BioWare rather than closing it, Insider Gaming reported, but those talks did not progress far enough before the company decided to shut the studio down instead. Insider Gaming also reported that EA expects further job cuts over the next 12 to 18 months.

BioWare's three-decade history

BioWare was founded in 1995 in Edmonton, Alberta, by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, three University of Alberta-trained medical doctors, according to MobileSyrup. Over three decades the studio built some of the best-known role-playing game franchises in the industry, including Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, MobileSyrup and Destructoid reported. Destructoid also noted that BioWare's 2019 title Anthem was widely regarded as a commercial and critical misfire.

EA said it will keep investing in sports titles, the online shooter Apex Legends, the Battlefield series, and action-adventure projects including a new Star Wars Jedi game and a title based on Marvel's Iron Man, according to Insider Gaming and Destructoid.

• EA is cutting about 400 jobs, roughly 3% of its workforce; about 50 are at BioWare.
• BioWare, founded in 1995, is being shut down entirely after more than 30 years.
• BioWare's next, unannounced Mass Effect game is canceled, not reassigned.
• The Sims' "Project Lotus" is canceled and the Skate team has been scaled down.
• The cuts follow EA's $55 billion, Saudi PIF-led buyout completed in August 2026.