The Fall of BioWare: What Happened to One of Gaming’s Greatest RPG Studios?

In the world of RPGs, there has been one game developer that I truly believe changed the game—quite literally—when it came to our expectations of a role-playing game.

Of course, I’m talking about BioWare. Founded nearly 31 years ago, BioWare opened up new possibilities when it came to character creation, character-driven storytelling, and, above all else, choice. Before BioWare, role-playing games often followed a more linear approach. There would be a set character with a set story that we could simply play through and see what happened. But the amazing team at BioWare decided we deserved more. They created games where our characters’ choices mattered—and where those choices had real consequences. Games where we could end up as the hero, the villain, or perhaps even the Queen of Ferelden if we played our cards right. They created games that made us fall in love with gaming all over again.

Unfortunately, after decades of producing several Game of the Year-worthy titles, the team at BioWare announced that it was closing its doors for good.

If you’re like me, this came as a complete shock. Or perhaps, like many other fans, you saw it coming. Either way, here’s what we know so far.

The Announcement

On October 21, BioWare officially announced that its studio would be closing for good, as far as we can tell.

In the years leading up to this heartbreaking announcement, BioWare had made several statements about the early development of the next installment of Mass Effect, confirming that it was in the works. Unfortunately, with the studio closing, this production has been halted indefinitely. So, it isn’t just goodbye, BioWare… It’s goodbye, Shepard. Well… goodbye to the version of Shepard that fans hoped would return after the original character was accidentally turned into a star at the end of the third game.

Why Did This Happen?

In 2008, BioWare was acquired by gaming giant Electronic Arts. And as much as I want to blame BioWare’s downfall entirely on EA, I can’t. BioWare actually reached its peak several years after the acquisition, so it’s hard to say that being housed beneath such a massive powerhouse was the cause of the studio’s decline.

When it comes to the actual decision to shut down BioWare, however, that was indeed a decision made by EA.

According to an executive letter titled Building EA’s Next Chapter, posted on EA’s website, the company wants to focus on fewer projects and franchises—ones it believes have long-term potential. I’m not sure how much more long-term potential you can get than millions of dedicated fans invested in the epic universes of Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Baldur’s Gate. But hey, I’m sure the business-focused higher-ups knew what they were doing with these massive cuts.

And massive they were. Around 400 employees were laid off as part of this “restructuring,” which news outlets such as Bloomberg reported represented approximately 3% of EA’s workforce. In addition to closing BioWare’s studio and Edmonton workspace, EA also cut back on the team working on skate and paused production on their newest Sims project.

How Did BioWare End Up on the Chopping Block?

BioWare really put its name on the map in 2007 with the release of a little game known as Mass Effect. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to experience one of the greatest games of all time, it’s set in the future, when humanity has become part of an intergalactic society alongside alien civilizations.

The main character, Commander Shepard, changed the game when it came to RPG protagonists. Not only could players customize Shepard’s abilities, but they could also personalize their appearance, background, and, perhaps most importantly, their decisions. Whether it was deciding how Shepard responded in a conversation or making life-or-death choices that affected the rest of the game, it was up to the player. This ability to shape the story created an incredibly immersive gaming experience and raised the bar for RPGs.

Following Mass Effect’s success, BioWare really took off. The studio completed the Mass Effect trilogy and introduced another equally successful franchise: Dragon Age. Several of its games received major awards, including the third installment of Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Unfortunately, after Inquisition’s release, two of BioWare’s founders left the studio, and things seemed to go downhill from there. In 2017, the studio released a new Mass Effect game with a story separate from Shepard’s. Long story short, it didn’t do particularly well, and many fans felt that the qualities that made BioWare games great were missing.

In 2019, BioWare launched the multiplayer RPG Anthem. Despite reportedly selling more than five million copies, EA stated that the game hadn’t met its expectations. With a lack of new missions and other content, the studio planned to revamp the game under the name Anthem Next. However, that project was abruptly canceled in 2021.

BioWare kept the game online for several years afterward, but eventually put the final nail in the coffin when its servers shut down on January 12, 2026. Because Anthem was an online game, anyone who bought a copy can no longer play it.

Honestly, though, I think the moment EA decided BioWare was no longer worth the investment may have come in 2024, when the studio released the fourth installment of Dragon Age. After an entire decade, fans of the series were extremely hyped for the release. But once again, something about the game just didn’t resonate with longtime fans.

The crazy thing is that it wasn’t a bad game. Critics rated it well, and although EA never released official sales figures, it’s reasonable to assume the game initially attracted plenty of players. Still, a few months after its release, EA announced that the game had attracted around 1.5 million players during the quarter, nearly half the number it had projected.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard seemed to be BioWare’s last chance to pull itself out of the crater it had fallen into. Now, almost exactly two years later, BioWare is shutting down after releasing nothing new since.

What Does All of This Mean for the Future of RPGs?

For me, EA shutting down a studio as renowned as BioWare is a sign that gaming is taking a turn for the worse. Gaming studios once prioritized quality, in-depth games that allowed us to spend hours investing in a story and in a character. Now? It seems that many have decided to lean more toward games designed to generate a steady stream of revenue by constantly introducing new items into their shops.

But all hope is not lost. There are a few games on the horizon that might prove my theory wrong. Bethesda has been working on The Elder Scrolls VI, with Fallout 5 also on the horizon, although neither has an expected release date. Playground Games has set a February 2027 release window for its new rendition of Fable. And the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3 has announced a new fantasy RPG titled Divinity, which promises to focus on character decisions and memorable companions.

Plus, BioWare might have been shut down by EA—but who’s to say those fifty masterminds won’t go off and create a studio of their own?

I guess, for now, we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.