Edmonton-based video game developer BioWare closing down, cancelling new Mass Effect game
Posted October 21, 2026 12:07 pm.
Video game developer BioWare, the studio behind the “Dragon Age” and “Mass Effect” franchises, is ceasing operations after more than three decades.
Electronic Arts, which owned the Edmonton-based developer, announced the closure Wednesday. The move ends development on the next Mass Effect game, which was in the early stages.
BioWare confirmed the closure in a social media post.
“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,” the developer wrote. “Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.
“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.”
University of Alberta professor and former BioWare developer Nathan Sturtevant says the statement came as a shock.
“It’s really sad that the great times that were done and the great games that were made, that era has come to a close,” said Sturtevant, who teaches game development at the university.
Sturtevant says the closure comes from a variety of factors ranging from post-pandemic player base cuts, to changing gamer demands.
“The big, big genres — shooter games or your MOBAs, League of Legends, and Heroes of the Storm, and Dota, too and all that — that’s just the scene now,” said Colin Nickel, who works at Overklocked Gaming in Edmonton.
The BioWare shutdown was also a topic of discussion among politicians.
“What does she have to say to those people from BioWare that just lost their jobs who might not get a look because of her policy decision?” said MP Michelle Rempel Garner at the House of Commons.
“I know BioWare is much smaller today than it was before but every person still working here, that’s a real impact to them. […] The industry has shifted so much. This has nothing to do with Edmonton, this has to do with their corporate company making that decision,” said Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack.
The developer says its immediate focus is on its “incredibly talented team” and “supporting one another through this transition.”
