EA is closing BioWare and has canceled the next Mass Effect game. The publisher confirmed the decision in an October 21 announcement to employees, saying a small team had still been working on the science-fiction RPG in early development.
The closure includes BioWare's Edmonton workspace. It ends development of the next entry in the series as EA narrows the number of large-scale games it makes at once.
"We've made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace," EA said. The company called BioWare "a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre."
The job losses extend beyond BioWare. IGN, citing Bloomberg's reporting, reports that around 400 people are losing their jobs across EA, with roughly 50 of those roles at BioWare. EA's public memo does not give a headcount for the cuts.
Mass Effect's earlier commitment is reversed
The cancellation comes less than a year after BioWare publicly reaffirmed the game's development. In its November 7, 2025 N7 Day update, executive producer Mike Gamble said the team was focused exclusively on Mass Effect and that "EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe."
That update described features and romances still to be built. EA's new statement confirms the game remained in early development when the publisher decided to stop it. This is a cancellation, not a revised release window.
BioWare's most recent release was Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024. The studio also made the original Mass Effect trilogy, whose characters included Liara T'Soni, seen in the next game's teaser.
EA's memo places the closure within a wider reduction in simultaneous, large-scale action-adventure projects. Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game remain in development, while the publisher says it will continue investing in Apex Legends and future Battlefield games.
For affected employees, EA says it will support efforts to find other opportunities within the company. The announcement does not name a replacement developer or another Mass Effect game.