Electronic Arts reportedly shut down BioWare after deciding it could not afford to continue funding both the in-development Mass Effect: Universe and an unannounced Star Wars: Battlefront project. According to Bloomberg, the company chose to prioritize the Star Wars title and move resources away from BioWare’s Mass Effect project.
The report links the decision to financial pressure following EA’s leveraged buyout, which left the company with $18 billion in debt that is expected to be repaid through operating profits. EA reportedly viewed a new multiplayer Battlefront game as a more predictable and less risky investment than continuing Mass Effect: Universe.
The move comes around 18 months after EA cancelled an open-world Black Panther game and closed Cliffhanger Games. It also follows a strategic shift announced two years earlier in which the company said it would move away from licensed titles. That strategy was not absolute, however, as EA continues to develop an Iron Man game based on the Marvel character.
Bloomberg’s report also points to internal corporate politics as a possible factor in BioWare’s closure. EA reorganized its executive structure and sidelined longtime EA Entertainment president Laura Miele, who had supported BioWare and the Mass Effect series.
Once Mass Effect: Universe was cancelled, BioWare reportedly had no active projects, leaving EA with a reason to close the studio. BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk criticized the decision in an interview with 80.lv, arguing that executives without experience developing games often fail to understand how game production works.
Sources: Game Developer.