'Mass Effect 3' (BioWare)
Electronic Arts is shutting down BioWare, the legendary studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and laying off about 3% of its global workforce in a sweeping restructuring, while two of its biggest studios join forces on what is reportedly Star Wars: Battlefront 3.
The cuts, announced Wednesday in a memo from EA co-presidents Cam Weber and David Tinson, mark the company’s first major move since it went private in August in a $55 billion buyout led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Based on EA’s last reported headcount of about 14,500 employees, the layoffs will affect roughly 400 people, including about 50 at BioWare.
EA said it decided not to continue early development on a new Mass Effect game, leading to the closure of BioWare and its Edmonton, Canada, office.
“BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly,” Weber and Tinson wrote.
Founded in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, BioWare created some of the most acclaimed role-playing games of all time, including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins. However, the studio struggled in recent years after its online shooter Anthem was shut down earlier this year and 2024’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of sales expectations. EA sharply reduced BioWare’s staff last year following Veilguard‘s disappointing performance.
The restructuring extends beyond BioWare. EA is also scaling down the team working on Skate and has canceled a game in The Sims franchise codenamed “Project Lotus,” according to Insider Gaming. The company said it will help affected employees explore other opportunities within EA.
The memo also offered a glimpse at EA’s future. Weber and Tinson called Battlefield 6 “a great success” after the franchise rebounded from the struggles of Battlefield 2042, and said the company would bring its Respawn and DICE studios together “to collaborate on a future project.”
The memo didn’t name the game, but multiple sources told Variety the project is Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for Lucasfilm. DICE developed the two previous Battlefront games, while Respawn is behind the Star Wars Jedi series and has worked on several Star Wars projects for EA.
The report confirms weeks of speculation surrounding a new Battlefront. Earlier this month, Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that Lucasfilm was searching for a developer for the long-awaited sequel, with DICE and Bungie, the developer of Destiny, said to be in the running. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer later claimed that both DICE and Respawn were working on the project, a claim that now appears to have been accurate.
The new Battlefront would join a busy slate of Star Wars games, including Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which won over critics after launching earlier this month.
EA said it will continue investing in its sports titles, Apex Legends, the next Star Wars Jedi game and an upcoming Iron Man game. The company also announced the return of its Fight Night boxing franchise on Tuesday and plans to share more about its direction at a Global Town Hall in November.
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