BioWare Is Closing and Mass Effect 5 Is Cancelled

BioWare, the studio behind more than three decades of role-playing games, is closing down. The decision also ends work on the next Mass Effect game, which was still in development.

The timing is hard to ignore. Electronic Arts, BioWare's corporate parent, was bought out by a group of investment firms in a $55 billion deal backed in part by Saudi Arabia. That transaction closed only months before this news, and it leaves fans asking how the new owners plan to handle EA's studios and franchises.

For players, the loss is bigger than one canceled project. Mass Effect and BioWare's other RPG series have built devoted communities over the years, and the shutdown puts the future of those franchises in doubt.