BioWare is closing. The studio said so itself on Wednesday, October 21, in a short post: "after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending."
EA's version, in an internal memo from executives Cam Weber and David Tinson published in full by Variety, is shorter: "a small team at BioWare" had been working on early development for Mass Effect, EA decided not to move forward, "which means we're closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace."
Is Mass Effect dead?
The next game is. The Mass Effect sequel announced in 2020 has been canceled, per Polygon, and was still in early development six years later. Neither BioWare nor EA said anything about the series beyond that project. EA still owns Mass Effect. It just no longer has the studio that made it, or a game in development.
Can I still play Mass Effect and Dragon Age?
Yes. These are single-player games, and closing the studio doesn't switch them off. As of Friday morning, Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard were both still on sale on Steam at $59.99. Neither the BioWare post nor the EA memo mentions delisting anything.
Dragon Age's future is vaguer. EA's memo doesn't mention the series at all. Polygon notes that The Veilguard, BioWare's last release, missed sales expectations.
What about Star Wars: The Old Republic?
SWTOR left BioWare in 2023. EA moved development to Broadsword, a separate studio, while staying on as publisher, according to BioWare's own announcement at the time. Neither of this week's statements mentions SWTOR, and nothing announced on October 21 changes its servers. It's still online, and deadgam.es tracks it here.
Worth remembering: EA is still the publisher, and publishers can end games. If that ever happens, it will come with its own announcement.
What about Anthem?
Anthem was already gone. EA shut its servers down on January 12, 2026, and with no offline mode, the game stopped working that day, per EA. BioWare listed it among its games in the farewell post anyway, which was generous.
How many people lost their jobs?
EA is cutting about 3% of its workforce, roughly 400 people, according to Variety. Bloomberg reported about 50 of those were at BioWare, per Polygon. The same memo calls Battlefield 6 "a great success" and promises to "invest heavily" in Apex Legends, which tells you where EA's priorities sit.
Is BioWare dead?
Yes. That's the studio's own word for it, give or take "closing." The games stay playable. The studio behind Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age won't be making another one.
Sources
- BioWare Blog — BioWare Update (Oct 21, 2026)
- Variety — EA Layoffs Cut 3%, BioWare Shutting Down (Oct 21, 2026), includes full EA memo
- Polygon — EA shutting down BioWare, officially cancels new Mass Effect (Oct 21, 2026)
- BioWare Blog — The Future is Bright for Star Wars: The Old Republic (Jun 27, 2023)
- EA — Anthem Game Update (Jul 3, 2025)
- Steam — Mass Effect Legendary Edition (1328670) and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (1845910)
Published Oct 23, 2026. Based on BioWare's official closure post (Oct. 21, 2026) and the EA memo published by Variety, with Polygon reporting, BioWare's 2023 SWTOR announcement, EA's Anthem update and Steam store listings checked Oct. 23. Game artwork © BioWare / Electronic Arts; official assets used editorially only.