EA to Close BioWare's Edmonton Studio and Cancel New Mass Effect: About 400 Jobs to Be Cut Companywide
Electronic Arts (EA) said in an email to employees on October 21 that it will close BioWare's studio in Edmonton, Canada, and cancel an early-stage Mass Effect project. BioWare is known for role-playing game franchises such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and Edmonton is where the studio was founded.
Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the company's plans, that EA plans to cut around 400 jobs, about 3% of its total staff, including roughly 50 at BioWare. EA said it would concentrate on fewer large-scale action-adventure games, while continuing development of Marvel's Iron Man and the next Star Wars Jedi game. The team behind the skateboarding simulation skate. will also be restructured into a smaller, more focused studio. EA said it would help affected employees explore other opportunities within the company.
Founded in Edmonton in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, BioWare built its reputation on the Mass Effect trilogy and the Dragon Age series, landmarks of the role-playing genre. Several of its recent releases underperformed commercially, and the studio had already gone through multiple rounds of downsizing.
The move comes about two months after EA was taken private: a $55 billion deal led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners closed in August, and the company was delisted. (GSM, via Reuters)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于 Redwood City 的艺电（EA）总部。照片：King of Hearts 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经维基共享资源／Electronic Arts headquarters in Redwood City. Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
