Electronic Arts Closes BioWare and Cuts 400 Jobs Amid Corporate Restructuring
Electronic Arts has closed the role-playing game studio BioWare and canceled the upcoming Mass Effect project, cutting 400 jobs across the company. The publisher confirmed the closure in an internal memo published on October 21, 2026, by Electronic Arts President and Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Strategy Officer Cam Weber. The move affects approximately 50 employees at BioWare alongside staff at other subsidiary developers.
The studio closures arrive shortly after a buyout of Electronic Arts by a Saudi investment group involving Jared Kushner using borrowed funds. That acquisition loaded the publisher with debt. Executives told debt investors they needed to slash annual costs by 700 million dollars, including 170 million dollars in organizational efficiency reductions. BioWare, founded in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, became a prominent casualty of those debt-driven savings. The American publisher was bought by a Saudi investment firm including Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Trump, with the deal requiring EA to take on debt that must now be restructured.
While BioWare built its reputation on RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the original Mass Effect trilogy, recent releases underperformed commercially. Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet sales expectations, paving the way for the studio’s shuttering after more than three decades in operation. BioWare achieved its first success in 1998 with Baldur’s Gate, a PC game based on the popular 1970s Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, before becoming one of the sector’s most renowned studios at the turn of the century thanks to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Mass Effect sci-fi trilogy, and Dragon Age fantasy games.
Corporate Restructuring Spreads 350 Layoffs Across Maxis, Ripple Effect, and Motive
The 50 job losses at BioWare account for only a fraction of the total cuts. The remaining 350 layoffs hit several other key EA studios, including The Sims developer Maxis, Battlefield support studio Ripple Effect, Skate developer Full Circle, and Iron Man developer EA Motive. Specific departures among the laid-off staff included Jamieson Shearer, senior gameplay designer at EA Motive, David Milne, senior designer at Full Circle, and seasonal creative director John Epler, while Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier described the news on LinkedIn as EA cutting 400 jobs and closing a legendary studio to save costs two months after a debt-burdened acquisition. Despite the broad cutbacks, EA confirmed that development teams working on certain high-profile titles remain intact. Respawn Entertainment and DICE are collaborating on a new project, reported as Star Wars: Battlefront 3, while Respawn continues supporting Apex Legends and developing the next Star Wars Jedi installment. EA Motive’s Iron Man game also survived the restructuring. Fan reaction to BioWare’s closure has been swift and melancholic. Players of Star Wars: The Old Republic gathered on Reddit to pay respects to the studio, noting the reality that the MMO outlived the developer that created it before management transferred support to Broadsword Games in 2023. Reddit user WarlockingIn posted BioWare’s farewell message on the SWTOR subreddit, generating nearly 5,000 upvotes and 742 comments within a few hours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Electronic Arts and BioWare
How many total jobs did Electronic Arts eliminate in this restructuring?
Electronic Arts cut a total of 400 jobs across the corporation, including approximately 50 positions at BioWare and 350 roles distributed among other development studios like Maxis, Ripple Effect, Full Circle, and EA Motive.
What major game projects were canceled alongside BioWare’s closure?
Electronic Arts officially canceled ‘The Next Mass Effect’ and put a complete project for The Sims on ice.
Who currently owns Electronic Arts following these budget cuts?
Electronic Arts was acquired by a Saudi investment firm alongside partners including Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, loading the publisher with debt that precipitated these cost-cutting measures.
The Closing Memo
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