EA Restructures Studios: BioWare Shutting Down, Respawn and DICE Teaming on Star Wars Battlefront 3

EA Restructures Studios: BioWare Shutting Down, Respawn and DICE Teaming on Star Wars Battlefront 3

EA Cuts About 3% of Workforce in Studio Restructuring

Electronic Arts announced a studio restructuring on Wednesday that will cut roughly 3% of its global workforce, about 400 jobs, according to Variety's estimate, against a recently reported headcount of 14,500 (Mezha, Fairgate). EA said it will help affected workers "in exploring other opportunities" within the company. The memo was signed by Cam Weber, president and chief studios officer, and David Tinson, president and COO, and was also published on EA's website.

BioWare Closes, Next Mass Effect Canceled

BioWare is closing its Edmonton office, ending a run of more than 30 years for the legendary role-playing studio (Game Developer). EA decided not to move forward with early development of a new Mass Effect game, which led directly to the studio's closure. BioWare had already faced steep cuts last year after Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of sales expectations (Bloomberg, via Gizmodo and Quartz). Around 50 BioWare employees are among those laid off this round, per Bloomberg via Polygon.

Official Line: Focus on Larger Opportunities

In the memo, Weber and Tinson called BioWare "a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre" and said "we do not take this decision lightly." They framed the restructuring as a focus on "larger opportunities," with EA continuing to invest in Apex Legends, the Battlefield franchise, and sports titles such as Madden. The executives touted Battlefield 6 as "a great success" and said EA "learned a lot from the launch and the live service."

Affected Studios and Canceled Projects

Beyond BioWare, Skate developer Full Circle is being reshaped into a smaller, more focused team. EA also canceled Project Lotus, a Sims title, while prioritizing another Sims project codenamed Project Evergreen. EA said it will continue developing a new Star Wars Jedi title and Marvel's Iron Man.

Respawn and DICE to Collaborate on Star Wars Battlefront 3

The memo announced that Respawn Entertainment and DICE will "collaborate on a future project." While EA did not name it, Variety cited multiple sources identifying the project as Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for Lucasfilm. DICE developed the 2015 and 2017 Battlefront reboots, and Respawn has experience with the Star Wars Jedi series. EA has not officially confirmed the title.

Backdrop: Privatization and Debt

The restructuring is EA's first major move since its $55 billion all-cash take-private deal closed on August 4, with buyers Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. The deal left EA carrying roughly $18 billion in debt (Bloomberg, via Quartz). EA had earlier told investors it planned to save as much as $700 million, partly through reduced research and development spending.