RIP BioWare: EA shuts down storied RPG studio after over three decades

BioWare says it is closing after more than three decades, ending early development on its next Mass Effect project. The shutdown marks the loss of a studio known for influential role-playing games, including Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Knights of the Old Republic, and comes amid job cuts at parent company Electronic Arts.

EA is cutting 400 jobs across the company, with 50 at BioWare, according to a Bloomberg report citing a person familiar with its plans. Founded in Edmonton in 1995, BioWare was bought by EA in 2007. The studio had faced departures among senior figures and mixed responses to recent releases, while EA was taken private in a $55 billion deal last year.