Fifty-five billion dollars and two science fiction universes
Electronic Arts chose to cancel the next Mass Effect game and prioritize a new Star Wars: Battlefront 3 after internal reviews of projects requiring investments of several hundred million US dollars each, according to a report. The publisher completed its acquisition by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund for approximately $55 billion in August 2026. Following months of economic evaluations, leadership determined that both science fiction productions could not move forward simultaneously, with Bloomberg citing anonymous sources pointing to stronger economic prospects for the Star Wars project.
The closure of BioWare and studio restructuring
BioWare’s Edmonton studio faces permanent closure, and roughly 400 corporate positions are slated for elimination, including about 50 roles at BioWare itself. The developer struggled to meet commercial expectations with recent software releases, launching Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024 after Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem failed to match prior commercial peaks. Electronic Arts stated that the restructuring resulted from a multi-month review of financial frameworks and long-term objectives, though the publisher stopped short of officially confirming that Battlefront 3 directly replaced Mass Effect in the production queue.
DICE and Respawn Entertainment take on Star Wars
Development resources are shifting toward a collaborative project involving DICE and Respawn Entertainment, as announced by Electronic Arts on October 21. Variety reported on October 22 that this unnamed joint effort centers on Star Wars: Battlefront 3, drawing on DICE’s history with the 2015 and 2017 entries in the series alongside Respawn’s experience with the Star Wars Jedi franchise and Apex Legends. Meanwhile, the intellectual property rights for Mass Effect remain with Electronic Arts, leaving the door open for a different studio to eventually pick up the series despite the cancellation of the current project.
EA shut down BioWare and canceled the next Mass Effect title in order to prioritize funding development of the next Star Wars Battlefront game EA picked a new Star Wars game over Mass EffectSource: @jasonschreier pic.twitter.com/oGwQRRpbZy
