After more than three decades in operation, BioWare, the studio best known for its role-playing games, is shutting down. The studio also confirmed on social media that work has ended on a new Mass Effect project that was still in the early stages of development. Although some fans referred to the game as Mass Effect 5, it never officially had that title.

The announcement comes just a few months after EA’s $55 billion acquisition. At the same time, Bloomberg reports that the publisher has broader plans to reduce its workforce, although the roughly 400 jobs expected to be cut are spread across EA as a whole rather than BioWare alone.

Mass Effect 5 was an unofficial name for the project

In its farewell statement, BioWare said that it was ending work on another Mass Effect project that was still in the early stages of development. This wording indicates that work on the project had not yet progressed beyond that early phase.

The title Mass Effect 5 was used unofficially, with some fans referring to the upcoming entry in the series by that name. It should therefore not be treated as a title confirmed by the studio. The official announcement confirms only that a new Mass Effect project was in development and that work on it is now being discontinued.

According to Eurogamer’s assessment, the project apparently was not yet ready to enter full production. Before news of the studio’s closure emerged, BioWare continued to insist that the new Mass Effect was still in development, while the latest statement clearly confirms that development of the project will no longer continue.

A complete closure, not another round of job cuts

This time, the news is not limited to the elimination of certain positions or the cancellation of a single game. BioWare itself announced that it is closing the studio. Its farewell message focused primarily on the team that created its games and on supporting one another during the transition.

The statement did not provide details about specific forms of assistance being offered to employees. The studio said only that its current priority is its talented team and supporting people through these changes. It also did not provide a more detailed official explanation of why the decision was made to close the studio entirely.

The decision follows EA’s $55 billion acquisition

BioWare is ending operations shortly after a change of control at its owner, EA. The publisher was acquired over the summer for $55 billion by an investor group comprising investment firm Silver Lake, private equity group Affinity Partners and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Affinity Partners is led by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. According to Eurogamer, layoffs at BioWare had been expected following a deal of this scale, but the studio’s complete closure, announced just a few months after EA’s acquisition, represents a considerably more significant change.

Bloomberg separately reports that EA plans to eliminate roughly 400 jobs across the company. That would amount to around 3% of EA’s total workforce. These figures should not be confused with the potential size of BioWare’s team, as the report refers to planned layoffs across the publisher’s entire business.

EA executives David Tinson and Cam Weber explained in a letter to employees that the company is making considered decisions about how it allocates talent and investment. According to the executives, resources are being concentrated in areas where EA sees the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth. Bloomberg reviewed the letter.

The studio had already faced difficulties in recent years

The closure was announced after a difficult period for BioWare. The studio’s experiment with a live-service model in Anthem quickly failed to deliver the expected results. Its latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, fell short of EA’s internal sales expectations, and the result was followed by another round of layoffs at the studio.

These events form the immediate backdrop to the closure, although BioWare’s own statement did not present them as the direct reason for the decision. In its farewell message, the studio focused primarily on its developers, its players and the legacy it had built over more than 30 years.

BioWare said goodbye by highlighting its most important games

In its announcement, the studio described itself as a place that, for more than three decades, brought together storytellers, developers and the players who supported the worlds they created. BioWare listed Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Anthem among its most important works.

The farewell message also emphasized the role of its audience. The studio thanked the people who played its games, debated the decisions they made, became attached to its characters and experienced its stories in their own way. According to BioWare, it was this connection that helped its games become more than simply the work of a development team.