BioWare confirms it’s downsizing as it ‘doesn’t require support from the full studio’ for Mass Effect

Electronic Arts is downsizing BioWare as the studio switches its full attention to Mass Effect 5.

In a blog post, BioWare general manager Gary McKay confirmed the studio is restructuring following Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s release in late 2024.

With the next Mass Effect game not requiring “support from the full studio”, he said an unspecified number of BioWare staff have transferred to other teams within its parent company EA.

“Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others,” said McKay.

“In keeping with our fierce commitment to innovating during the development and delivery of Mass Effect, we have challenged ourselves to think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans. We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare.

“Given this stage of development, we don’t require support from the full studio. We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we have worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit.”

According to an IGN report, a smaller number of Dragon Age team members are seeing their roles terminated too. It’s unclear how many BioWare staff are facing potential layoffs, but it’s claimed those affected are being offered time to apply to other positions within the company if they want.

“Today’s news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs. We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare,” McKay’s statement concluded.

EA recently lowered its revenue forecast for its current business year, partly due to what it called the underperformance of EA Sports FC 25 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The fantasy RPG “engaged” around 1.5 million players during its first two months of availability, which EA said was nearly half of its expectations.