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EA reportedly closed BioWare because it was forced to choose between Mass Effect 5 and Star Wars Battlefront 3
Developing story first seen 5 days ago
A new report says EA chose to prioritise a third Star Wars Battlefront over Mass Effect 5, a decision that contributed to BioWare’s closure and the cancellation of the new Mass Effect game. Executives reportedly viewed Battlefront as the less risky investment, although development on it had not begun.
EA was carrying $18 billion in debt after a leveraged buyout, and each project could have cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The report also cites BioWare’s recent commercial record and changes in EA’s leadership as factors. Mass Effect 5 had been planned for a setting 600 years after the Reaper war; Battlefront 2, released in 2017, struggled at first but improved after changes to the game.
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In short
- EA reportedly favoured Battlefront over Mass Effect.
- The projects could each have cost hundreds of millions.
- BioWare’s record and EA’s debt also shaped the decision.
How this story developed
- 3 hours ago EA reportedly closed BioWare after deciding it could not fund both a new Mass Effect game and a third Star Wars Battlefront. Executives chose Battlefront, which they viewed as the less risky and more predictable investment, and Mass Effect 5 was cancelled.
- 4 hours ago A new report says EA chose to prioritise a third Star Wars Battlefront over Mass Effect 5, a decision that contributed to BioWare’s closure and the cancellation of the new Mass Effect game.
- Destructoid Star Wars Battlefront 3 was reportedly the final nail in the coffin for BioWare and Mass Effect
- Push Square New Mass Effect Cancelled So EA Can Focus on Star Wars Battlefront 3
- Eurogamer EA reportedly closed BioWare because it was forced to choose between Mass Effect 5 and Star Wars Battlefront 3
- Rock Paper Shotgun EA reportedly backed Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect 5 before BioWare closure
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
EA could be argued to have had a duty to invest cautiously: with substantial debt and both projects potentially costing hundreds of millions, funding the title executives saw as more predictable may have seemed the best way to protect the company and its remaining jobs. BioWare’s recent commercial record and Battlefront 2’s later recovery could also have supported the view that another Star Wars game offered a clearer route to returns.
The case against
The decision could be criticised for sacrificing a planned Mass Effect story and the future of a studio with a distinctive creative identity in favour of a project that had not yet begun development. A cautious financial choice may have narrowed EA’s long-term prospects too: Battlefront 2’s troubled launch shows that a familiar franchise is not necessarily a safe investment, while cancelling Mass Effect risked losing audience trust and creative capacity.
Coverage · 4 sources
- EurogamerEA reportedly closed BioWare because it was forced to choose between Mass Effect 5 and Star Wars Battlefront 3
- DestructoidStar Wars Battlefront 3 was reportedly the final nail in the coffin for BioWare and Mass Effect
- Push SquareNew Mass Effect Cancelled So EA Can Focus on Star Wars Battlefront 3
- Rock Paper ShotgunEA reportedly backed Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect 5 before BioWare closure
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