Mass Effect 5 cancelled and BioWare shuttered amid EA layoffs

In yet another round of industry layoffs, EA has confirmed that the legacy studio, BioWare, is shutting down, meaning Mass Effect 5 will not be going ahead.

BioWare is a historic studio, with titles like Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age and Star Wars: The Old Republic behind its name. And with the last Mass Effect game being released in 2017, the next instalment almost a decade on was highly anticipated by fans.

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Even just the word "layoffs" sounds like a broken record across the industry right now, but BioWare did release a final statement via social media, writing: "For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio.

"It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life.

"Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.

"Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition."

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According to a report by Bloomberg, 50 staff at BioWare will be cut as part of EA’s layoffs that will affect 400 jobs in total. These 400 redundancies make up just 3% of EA’s staff.

The cuts come after EA was sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in a $55 billion deal back in August, which has left the company with roughly $18 billion of debt.

Clearly, these layoffs are just a cost cutting measure, with legacy studios like BioWare being first to pay the price. However, the warning signs were already there, as just last year EA shrunk BioWare’s development team.

BioWare’s statement to its fans finished with: "What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember.

"These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.

"From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story."

Meanwhile, EA has just announced the revival of the boxing franchise Fight Night, alongside developing an Iron Man game which was leaked in August. With all these new projects, it’s clear the company is taking itself in a whole new direction.

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