EA has issued a new statement about its decision to close BioWare, offering additional insight into why the company shut down one of gaming’s most recognizable RPG developers. Simply put, the gaming industry doesn’t feel the same without the studio responsible for games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Knights of the Old Republic (among many others).
BioWare’s closure has also sparked the #SaveMassEffect movement, with fans launching a Change.org petition calling on EA to reconsider the future of the franchise. The petition has already attracted nearly 300,000 signatures, with supporters asking EA to either revive development of the canceled Mass Effect game or consider licensing the franchise to another studio. Organizers are planning a coordinated Mass Effect Legendary Edition play session on November 7, hoping to boost the BioWare game’s Steam player count during N7 Day and demonstrate just how much interest remains in the franchise.
EA Officially Responds to Question about BioWare
Speaking with Bloomberg, an EA spokesperson offered an explanation for BioWare’s closure, confirming that the decision followed several months of internal discussions and evaluations. According to EA, the company considered its current business situation, changes throughout the gaming industry, and its long-term plans before deciding to shut down BioWare. The spokesperson acknowledged that closing a studio was difficult but explained that EA needed to concentrate its resources on projects it believes offer the strongest opportunities moving forward:
“…collectively reached this decision following months of planning, review, and analysis, including careful consideration of evolving business conditions, industry dynamics, and our long-term priorities…While this is never easy, we ultimately have to make tough decisions to focus our teams on the biggest opportunities for our future, including investing in new projects across our portfolio.”
According to Bloomberg’s sources, one of the biggest reasons behind BioWare’s closure was reportedly EA’s decision to prioritize Star Wars Battlefront 3 over the next Mass Effect game. Citing people familiar with EA’s plans, Bloomberg reports that the publisher recently had an opportunity to work with Disney’s Lucasfilm on another Star Wars Battlefront game. However, EA was also dealing with financial pressure following its $55 billion buyout, which left the company with approximately $18 billion in debt. With both Mass Effect and Star Wars Battlefront 3 expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, EA reportedly decided that it couldn’t justify investing in both projects. Ultimately, the company chose Star Wars Battlefront 3, leading to the cancellation of Mass Effect and BioWare’s closure.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 reportedly hasn’t even entered development yet, but EA executives apparently considered it a safer investment than another Mass Effect game. Some of the language coming out of EA’s decision to go private is the idea that it would focus on “shooters and sports,” not beloved RPGs like Mass Effect. And for that reason, as EA once bought BioWare for Star Wars: The Old Republic, EA shut down BioWare for a Star Wars game.
However, the decision to close BioWare and cancel Mass Effect wasn’t entirely about Star Wars Battlefront 3. Bloomberg also points to internal leadership changes at EA, years of development problems, and the rising cost of making AAA games. EA still owns the Mass Effect franchise and a television adaptation remains in development at Amazon, but there’s currently no indication that another game is being planned.
- Released
-
May 14, 2021
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Publisher(s)
-
Electronic Arts
