BioWare’s Edmonton studio will close after more than three decades
Electronic Arts announced on October 21, 2026, that it is closing BioWare and canceling the next Mass Effect. The publisher confirmed that its Edmonton workspace will also close as it changes where it invests in game development.
The announcement comes after EA’s $55 billion acquisition, which was completed on August 4. BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, separately confirmed the closure in its own October 21 statement.
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Development on the next Mass Effect is ending
In a message shared with employees, EA said: “We’ve made the decision not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace.”
The publisher said a small BioWare team had been working on the project in early development. EA plans to concentrate its action-adventure work on fewer large-scale projects, while continuing with Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game.
BioWare’s statement
In its October 21 announcement, BioWare wrote:
In its January 29, 2025 studio update, BioWare had said a core team led by veterans of the original trilogy was developing the next Mass Effect following Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It also said colleagues had been matched with other teams at EA.
EA says it will support affected employees in exploring other opportunities within the company. Its announcement does not specify how many BioWare positions are affected or give a final closing date.
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Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Fix Gaming Channel.
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