​The writing may have been on the wall, but that didn’t make the news any easier to stomach.

On Wednesday, Electronic Arts shut down BioWare, one of the most storied video game studios around. It was known for developing landmark fantasy and science-fiction RPGs throughout its 30 years of operation. Its remaining employees were laid off as part of around 400 job cuts at EA. The next Mass Effect, colloquially called Mass Effect 5, was canceled.

It’s an unceremonious end to a studio that was once at the forefront of choice-based, narrative-focused RPGs. The hundreds of employees who worked on its games over the years brought whole galaxies to life, filling them with beloved characters. Most importantly, BioWare series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age created spaces for players to feel represented and included. It’s not a stretch to say these games changed, or even saved, lives. BioWare’s games are art, and the power that art can have on an individual cannot be quantified.

Of course, studios aren’t monoliths; dozens or hundreds of talented people are behind any name on the door. Some of the people you’re familiar with had already left BioWare to work on other projects, like Casey Hudson and his new studio’s upcoming Star Wars game . Others might be less lucky. The video game industry has been hit hard by mass layoffs over the past four years — which BioWare itself was subject to in 2025 — and, as the number of available jobs for both veteran and up-and-coming developers shrinks, this closure could end up sending many developers into other careers.

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