Today, Electronic Arts announced the closure of BioWare, marking the end of an era in gaming.
The studio itself published a message on its social media channels, mentioning the closure and the cancellation of the new Mass Effect project that was in development.
You can read the message in its entirety below.
“For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. 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.”
Electronic Arts itself posted an announcement on its official site claiming to be “the number one publisher in Western HD gaming” and enumerating a bunch of initiatives to restructure its production, which obviously means layoffs.
The message admits that “BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre” and vows that the decision wasn’t taken lightly.
Of course, that all amounts to a bunch of despicable and borderline nonsensical corporate drivel to justify cuts in the wake of the equally nonsensical debt-fueled leveraged buyout by Saudi Arabia’n’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, which left EA gasping for air under the weight of $18 billion in debt.
I wish I could say we didn’t see this coming, but of course, everyone did, and it makes the whole thing even more infuriating.
According to the announcement, EA will focus on Battlefield, including a project involving both Respawn and Dice.
Action-adventure games will still be on the menu with Marvel’s Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game, followed by “fewer simultaneous, large-scale projects.”
Of course, the EA Sports cash cow will stay, including two new projects. One, code-named “Project Gridiron,” is a “social-first open-world experience” related to American Football, while Fight Night will return.
The Sims team will focus on Project Evergreen, while Project Lotus is being paused. The former appears to be a mainline Sims game, while the latter is likely what was previously called Project Rene, a multiplayer mobile-focused experience.
Skate. is also continuing, but with a smaller team.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take a break. I desperately need a shower.
