A new report revealed more of the factors behind the Electronic Arts (EA) decision to shut down beloved Canadian developer BioWare.
According to Bloomberg, EA shut BioWare down after learning about an opportunity with Disney’s Lucasfilm to develop a third Star Wars Battlefront game. Meanwhile, the publisher faced financial pressure after a $55 billion buyout by a Saudi Arabian investment fund took the company private and saddled it with $18 billion in debt.
After reviewing its portfolio, the company saw that it had two sci-fi action games that would cost in the hundreds of millions to develop: Star Wars Battlefront III and a new Mass Effect (which had its trailer leaked, btw). In the end, the company chose to invest in the former and shut down BioWare.
Interestingly, Bloomberg pointed out that Star Wars Battlefront III hasn’t even begun development yet, but execs saw it as a less risky investment and more predictable than a new Mass Effect title (essentially betting on the blue chip), with Bloomberg adding that the company has always been more comfortable with shooters than RPGs.
Bloomberg also added that other factors contributed to the shutdown, mainly the low reception of BioWare’s last few games: 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda, 2019’s Anthem, and 2024’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which reportedly missed sales expectations by 50 per cent.
Corporate politics could also have played a role, after an executive reshuffling saw EA Sports veterans David Tinson and Cam Weber promoted, while Laura Miele, a BioWare and Mass Effect advocate, was sidelined.
Interestingly, NDP leader Avi Lewis posted to Bluesky that he wants BioWare developers to run the studio with financial backing from the federal government, writing: “The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity – and the federal support – to buy it and run it themselves.”
Source: Bloomberg
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