Canadian gaming news — Electronic Arts confirmed October 21 it is closing BioWare’s Edmonton studio after 31 years and ending early development on the next Mass Effect. The BioWare Edmonton Closure is EA’s first major move since the company went private August 4 in a roughly $55 billion leveraged buyout led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
By Maplestime Business Desk | Canada | October 23, 2026
Sources: TechSpot, MMOs.com, 4ScarrsGaming | Last updated: October 23, 2026
Key Takeaways
- EA is closing BioWare’s Edmonton studio, its last, and cancelling the next Mass Effect, ending 31 years of the RPG house behind Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
- About 400 positions are being cut company-wide (roughly 3 percent of EA’s workforce), with about 50 at BioWare, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
- The cuts are EA’s first major restructuring since the $55 billion Saudi-led buyout, a deal that saddled the company with roughly $20 billion in debt.
- BioWare’s farewell statement: “Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”
BioWare Edmonton Closure: What EA Announced
In a letter to staff titled “Building EA’s Next Chapter,” EA COO David Tinson and studios chief Cam Weber told employees they decided “not to move forward with this development, which means we’re closing the studio and our Edmonton workspace.” The letter framed the move as part of broader cost-cutting, and the BioWare Edmonton Closure was among the most feared outcomes of the buyout from day one.
31 Years, From Baldur’s Gate to Dragon Age
BioWare was founded in Edmonton in 1995 by Drs. Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip. Over the next decade it helped define the RPG genre with Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. EA acquired the studio in 2007, around the release of the first Mass Effect, and Dragon Age launched in 2009.
The original Mass Effect trilogy and the first two Dragon Age games cemented BioWare’s legend status. But after that, creative pivots often mandated by EA, chronic under-resourcing and struggles with the Frostbite engine pushed Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem into development hell. Inquisition won 2014 Game of the Year honours from several outlets, but it proved to be the studio’s final success.
The $55 Billion Buyout Behind the Cuts
The closure lands barely two months after EA’s $55 billion leveraged buyout by the Saudi-led Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the firm founded by Jared Kushner. TechSpot reports the deal saddled EA with roughly $20 billion in debt. BioWare fans had feared this outcome since the buyout was announced, especially after a string of layoffs last year that followed titles missing EA’s sales projections.
What Edmonton Loses
About 50 of the 400 eliminated positions are at BioWare, meaning Edmonton loses one of the crown jewels of Canada’s games industry. EA says it is doubling down instead on first-person shooters and sports titles, building on Battlefield 6 and Apex Legends, with Respawn and DICE collaborating on a reportedly new Star Wars: Battlefront 3.
Maplestime will provide updates from Electronic Arts and BioWare as announcements are made.
Have a tip about BioWare Edmonton? Email [email protected]
Have a correction? Email [email protected]
Did the $55 billion buyout kill BioWare, or was the studio already dead the day EA bought it in 2007? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian gamer who grew up on Mass Effect.
Enjoying Maplestime? Support independent Canadian journalism — no paywall, no corporate owners.
