EA shuts down legendary game studio BioWare after recent high-profile disappointments, controversies
Electronic Arts has shut down BioWare, the renowned video game studio behind the 'Mass Effect' and 'Dragon Age' franchises, after years of disappointing releases and controversies over identity-politics themes in its games.
BioWare, which became famous for critically acclaimed titles like 'Dragon Age: Origins,' has closed after 31 years. The studio announced in an Oct. 21 blog post that early development on the next Mass Effect project is also ending. 'There is nothing easy about writing those words,' the studio stated, adding that their focus is now on supporting the talented team through this transition.
Sales disappointments
The closure follows years of struggling with critically panned titles such as 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' and 'Anthem.' According to Bloomberg, BioWare's most recent game, 'Dragon Age: The Veilguard,' missed sales expectations by nearly 50%, attracting approximately 1.5 million players during its launch quarter compared to EA's projections.
The Veilguard had faced backlash over its handling of identity politics, an issue that has sparked debate about other recent video games.
Identity politics controversy
'The Veilguard' drew controversy for its transgender and nonbinary themes, including a character creation option allowing players to add top surgery scars. One scene featured a character accidentally misgendering another nonbinary character and performing a fictional apology ritual, which was criticized online.
The game's director, Corinne Busche, who is transgender, told Inverse how her identity influenced the development. 'I'm an openly queer, trans woman,' Busche said. 'It shaped everything about who I am, and it's been the source of a lot of joy, a lot of difficulty and perspective.'
Industry reaction
Former 'Dragon Age' lead writer David Gaider later suggested another installment was unlikely under EA, noting the series previously survived because it had outperformed expectations. Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell, a composer for the 'Halo' series, linked BioWare's closure to what he called 'woke ideology' in gaming.
O'Donnell told Fox News Digital: 'For the last few years, BioWare hasn't been in touch with its fans as it got infected with woke ideology... EA took BioWare and ruined it by preaching to their audience. More companies like Bungie and BioWare will be shuttered until the executives wake up and realize fans want politics out of their games.'
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