Updated

Electronic Arts announced overnight on October 21-22, 2026 that it was shutting down longtime studio BioWare and canceling the in-development Mass Effect 5, as part of a restructuring that eliminates roughly 400 roles across the company. Around 50 BioWare staff were affected directly, while the cuts also hit other EA studios including Respawn, Maxis, Full Circle (Skate), and EA Motive, with the Skate team among those confirmed to have lost jobs. The closure of the 31-year-old studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, and Knights of the Old Republic drew an outpouring of reaction from across the industry. Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider said no other studio did RPGs better, ex-Mass Effect director Casey Hudson said he would be forever grateful for his time there, and veteran designer Warren Spector called the decision 'utter bulls**t.' A Canadian opposition leader, Avi Lewis, even called on the government to help BioWare employees buy and run the studio themselves, while former executive producer Mark Darrah suggested EA could sell off BioWare's IP to address its debt, and fans and developers, including the Star Wars: The Old Republic lead writer, flooded social media with eulogies and criticism over the studio being snubbed in EA's own announcement.