BioWare is closing after more than three decades, following the commercial disappointment of “Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” the fantasy game that drew sharp criticism for its inclusion of gender identity and pronouns. Parent company Electronic Arts is also ending development of the next “Mass Effect.” The shutdown follows an earlier reduction in BioWare’s development team. Approximately 50 positions at the studio are reportedly included in a broader round of roughly 400 EA job cuts.
The studio announced the decision Wednesday, October 21st, 2026, bringing an end to a developer whose history stretches back to 1995. BioWare built its reputation with role-playing games including “Baldur’s Gate,” “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” and the “Mass Effect” series. EA acquired the company in 2007. Its recent difficulties included the unsuccessful multiplayer shooter “Anthem” and the underperformance of its latest “Dragon Age” release.
“The Veilguard” arrived October 31st, 2024, nearly a decade after “Dragon Age: Inquisition.” Released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, it put players in the role of Rook, leading companions through another adventure in Thedas. The standard edition launched at $69.99 on consoles and $59.99 on PC. Among its companions was Taash, a Qunari character whose “nonbinary identity” became the subject of dialogue and a widely circulated cutscene.
One X post circulating news of the shutdown connected BioWare’s closure to its game content. “Geez, I wonder why,” the account wrote. In the separately documented tavern sequence, Isabela uses the wrong pronoun for Taash, then performs push-ups as an apology. The conversation continues with an explanation of the practice and how to acknowledge a mistake without making the apology about oneself.
The scene attracted criticism when the game launched, including from Forbes contributor Erik Kain. His commentary described the game’s political messaging as “clumsy” and “preachy,” criticizing how contemporary language and instruction were incorporated into the fantasy setting. Kain also discussed the Qunari’s established gender roles and argued that the series’ existing fictional world offered a better way to explore Taash’s story.
The financial disappointment became public in January 2025, when EA reported that the game had engaged approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter. That was nearly 50% below the company’s expectations. EA identified underperformance in both “Dragon Age” and its football business while reducing its financial outlook. The Dragon Age figure measured players engaged, rather than copies sold.
Watch the game’s pronoun-apology scene here:
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BioWare’s staff had already been reduced in 2025 as attention shifted toward “Mass Effect.” That project had been announced in 2020, although little of it had been shown publicly. Wednesday’s studio announcement ended that remaining development effort: “BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.”
The closure comes two months after EA’s $55 billion sale to a consortium including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. EA executives David Tinson and Cam Weber described a business review and a decision to concentrate resources on fewer, larger projects. The company plans continued investment in sports games, “Apex Legends,” and “Battlefield.” Its remaining action-adventure projects include the next “Star Wars Jedi” game and “Marvel’s Iron Man.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.