Electronic Arts’ decision to close BioWare and cancel its next Mass Effect game has raised questions about the project’s progress and the publisher’s priorities. According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, the game remained in pre-production and was still years away from completion, despite being announced in 2020. The report challenges claims from some fans that the canceled project was much closer to release than EA’s announcement suggested.
Mass Effect Development Was Delayed by Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The next Mass Effect game, reportedly codenamed Mass Effect: Universe, faced significant delays before its cancellation. According to Schreier’s reporting for Bloomberg, development was paused for approximately two years while BioWare redirected resources toward Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Although an internal trailer reportedly leaked after EA announced the cancellation, it offered only a glimpse of the project rather than definitive evidence of how close the game was to completion. YouTuber Dantics, who describes himself as a member of the Mass Effect community council, had suggested the game was further along than EA’s statement implied and expressed optimism about its potential.
Schreier’s report, however, indicates that the project had not progressed far enough to be considered close to release. The cancellation means fans will not see the version of the game BioWare had been developing.
Schreier’s reporting also points to a financial decision behind the cancellation. EA was reportedly weighing two expensive science-fiction projects: the next Mass Effect and a potential new Star Wars: Battlefront game. Both were expected to require hundreds of millions of dollars, but EA reportedly considered Battlefront the less risky investment.
It remains unclear whether EA attempted to sell BioWare or its major franchises before deciding to close the studio. Schreier noted that EA has historically been reluctant to sell its intellectual property, even when individual franchises are inactive.
While the next Mass Effect game has been canceled, the franchise is not disappearing entirely. A television adaptation for Amazon’s Prime Video remains in development, offering fans another potential way to revisit the science-fiction universe.
