A Bloomberg report published on October 30 names the decision to back Star Wars Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect 5 as the main factor in EA’s shutdown of BioWare, which closed the storied RPG studio earlier in October.
According to Bloomberg’s postmortem, EA executives chose the Star Wars shooter after Disney offered the publisher the chance to make Battlefront 3. The offer arrived as EA, carrying debt from the leveraged buyout that put the Saudi government and private equity in control of the company, was looking to spend less cash. A new shooter with a safe, predictable Star Wars name won out over an expensive internal RPG, even though Battlefront 3’s development reportedly has not started yet, with Respawn and DICE lined up to build it.
EA says the closure followed months of planning
An EA spokesperson told Bloomberg the company “collectively” decided to close BioWare “following months of planning, review, and analysis, including careful consideration of evolving business conditions, industry dynamics, and our long-term priorities.”
Bloomberg’s report points to other contributing factors as well. BioWare’s uneven record of releases, a skid that began with Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017, worsened with Anthem and was not arrested by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is cited as part of the picture. The summer 2026 executive reshuffle, which promoted EA Sports-linked executives David Tinson and Cam Weber while moving Laura Miele, described as a BioWare advocate, toward pursuing “strategic growth opportunities beyond EA’s core business,” may also have played a role.
What the report means for Mass Effect
The closure cancels the next Mass Effect, which EA shut down alongside the studio in October. The cancelled game was reportedly named Mass Effect Universe and built around alternate timelines generated from players’ choices in earlier entries, a premise its former technical director described before the cancellation. Destructoid reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is now EA’s majority owner, the ownership structure behind the debt-driven cost cuts that shaped the Battlefront 3 decision, though EA has not confirmed it.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 has no announced release date.
