In a move many assumed would eventually happen, despite praying it never would. EA has indeed just shut down the beloved and historic studio, Bioware. This move also is at the cost of the next entry in the Mass Effect series.
Bioware posted to social media on Wednesday that their focus now is to support one another through this transition.
“For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life,” the company said.
“Baldur’s Gate. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dragon Age. Mass Effect. Anthem. Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”
“There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.
“What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember. These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.
“From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story.”
With this closure, it is stated that EA is cutting around 400 jobs across the company, which is roughly 3% of its total workforce, which included 50 at Bioware, Edmonton.
The news of this closure shouldn’t be too much of surprise, given this is two months after the completion of EA’s buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. EA went private in the $55 billion buyout, leaving the company with approximately $18 billion in debt, which sees the company pay around $1.8 billion per year in interest alone.
These job cuts come from the fact that EA told debt investors they would be cutting approximately $700 million in annual costs, with $170 million in ‘organizational efficiencies’ at the completion of this buyout.
Despite some fan hesitation for the next Mass Effect, given the reception to the last main entry in Andromeda, the fact a new entry was in the works at least indicated to fans that Bioware had not given up on righting the series and bringing it back, especially given that the next game was going to return to some of the cast of the original trilogy, given by the reveal trailer.
While the Mass Effect TV show is still in the works, at least at the time of this writing, its unsure if fans would want to support it, given this news.
Regardless, this is a massive blow to the industry, showing that your history, no matter how beloved, can end in an instant, just to save a couple bucks.
Stay tuned if more on this story develops.