Video game company Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) announced it will lay off 400 staffers and shut down BioWare, the decades-old Canadian studio behind blockbuster RPG franchises Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and the first two Baldur’s Gate games. BioWare was first established in 1995 and later acquired by EA in 2007.
According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the renowned game publisher will eliminate around 400 roles — about 3 percent of the company’s workforce — and an estimated 50 BioWare employees will lose their jobs.
In a new staff memo reviewed by Bloomberg, EA’s Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber said that, “over the past several months, [they’ve] taken a hard look at [their] business” and made the decision to “cut some projects,” including the next Mass Effect game, which was currently in development.
EA leaders said that, “[a]cross our portfolio, we’re making deliberate choices to align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth.”
Electronic Arts will reportedly keep investing in sports and action-packed adventure projects, including shooter Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, and a title featuring Marvel’s genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, Iron Man.
EA also confirmed plans to continue the Battlefield franchise; Respawn and DICE studios are also expected to collaborate on what Schreier says is “likely to be another entry in the Star Wars: Battlefront series.”
Electronic Arts has reportedly also canceled the code-named “Project Lotus” for The Sims, instead pursuing another unnamed endeavor, called “Project Evergreen.”
EA will continue work on the skate franchise, but will reportedly “downsize the team behind it.”
Now-shuttered studio BioWare thanks longtime fans in heartfelt message
Studio BioWare posted a somber update to fans on X (formerly Twitter) in the same solemn format many other shuttered studios have used. The minimal post’s white sans-serif text, set on a stark black background, conveys a sincerity impersonal news releases can’t replicate.
“For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio,” the post begins. “It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life.
“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.”
At the time of writing, BioWare’s new X post — published less than one hour ago — has been viewed nearly 3 million times.
Corporate studio ‘restructuring’ continues as brands push gen-AI, face fewer monopolization penalties
These significant changes follow Electronic Arts Inc.’s controversial privatization this past summer; in July, the European Commission (EU) approved a $55 billion brand buyout by a wealthy investor consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), private equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner-led Affinity Partners. Kushner is the son-in-law of sitting U.S. President Donald Trump.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF holds a massive 93.4 percent stake in Electronic Arts Inc., while Affinity Partners and Silver Lake hold 5.5 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.
EA first confirmed the colossal deal in a September 2025 news release, in which leaders said the company “entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor consortium (‘the Consortium’) comprised of PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners in an all-cash transaction that values EA at an enterprise value of approximately $55 billion.
“The transaction positions EA to accelerate innovation and growth to build the future of entertainment.”
Schreier says the eyebrow-raising acquisition skyrocketed Electronic Arts’ accumulated debt to around $18 billion. Still, the company told investors earlier this year that it planned to cut “research and development costs” to save an estimated $700 million.
In addition to Electronic Arts Inc., the Saudi Arabia PIF also holds not-insignificant stakes in globally recognized video game brands like Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and Capcom, among others. The Saudi PIF purchased Pokémon GO maker Scopely earlier this year for more than $3 billion.
The PIF’s continued entertainment brand acquisitions have raised alarms among many gamers and legal and industry experts, with some alleging the group is engaging in “sportswashing,” a practice in which an organization or individuals host large-scale entertainment events and purchase leagues, teams, and brands in an effort to globally rehabilitate their reputation.
This authoritarian strategy siphons citizens’ attention from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing human rights crises, redirecting it toward sanitized, simulcast sports events.
The Saudi PIF is run by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a world leader accused of myriad human rights violations. In 2019, the United Nations (UN) said that “the state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible” for the death of journalist and outspoken government critic, Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia denies involvement.
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