EA cancelled Mass Effect to fund Battlefront 3, gamer.no reported
Electronic Arts cancelled the next Mass Effect and shut down studio BioWare to fund the development of Star Wars Battlefront 3, gamer.no reported, citing an investigation by Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier published on October 30, 2026.
BioWare had already confirmed its studio closure and the halt of Mass Effect development on October 21, 2026, according to yorogaming.com. Both high-profile science-fiction titles were projected to require development budgets reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, yorogaming.com reported.
PIF Debt Leads EA to Prioritize Star Wars
Following Electronic Arts’ acquisition by the PIF group, which saddled the company with 165 billion Norwegian kroner in debt and triggered multiple rounds of layoffs, executives evaluated upcoming projects and determined that Star Wars represented a less risky financial commitment, gamer.no reported.
EA Favors Shooters over Battlefront 3 Production
TechPowerUp reported that Electronic Arts executives based their decision partly on the company’s historic preference for and experience with shooter games like Battlefield 6. While Mass Effect was already actively in production when leadership reviewed the company’s portfolio, Star Wars Battlefront 3 had not yet entered full production, yorogaming.com noted.
Studio Struggles and Leadership Shifts
BioWare’s recent commercial track record also factored into the publisher’s cost-cutting strategy. Yorogaming.com noted that previous commercial challenges, including the reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard—which was described by TechPowerUp as a last chance for the studio—contributed to the outcome. Leadership restructuring further influenced the shift, with former studio advocate Laura Miele reportedly losing influence during internal reorganizations, according to yorogaming.com.
Electronic Arts Justifies Closure Amid Fan Backlash
In an official statement reported by gamer.no, Electronic Arts characterized BioWare’s closure as the outcome of months of planning, evaluation, and analysis, stating that difficult decisions are necessary to focus teams on future opportunities and portfolio investments. However, the publisher did not explicitly confirm that Star Wars Battlefront 3 specifically drove the studio’s closure, yorogaming.com reported.
EA reportedly found itself looking at two hugely expensive sci-fi games: the next Mass Effect and Star Wars Battlefront 3.It chose Star Wars.The result? Mass Effect was canceled and BioWare shut down, despite Battlefront 3 reportedly not even having entered development.This…
Electronic Arts has not formally announced Star Wars Battlefront 3 or provided a commercial release window, according to yorogaming.com. Unofficial industry rumors suggest that Respawn and DICE—the development teams behind Apex Legends and Battlefield respectively—may collaborate on the project, gamer.no reported. Meanwhile, following the cancellation of the next Mass Effect, fans launched an online petition to save the role-playing franchise, which has approached 300,000 signatures, according to gamer.no.