Mass Effect 5 and BioWare Reportedly Died So Star Wars Battlefront 3 Could Live

BioWare reportedly shut down because EA bosses chose to invest in the development of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect 5.

Bloomberg reported that the main reason EA closed BioWare was because it had decided it could only afford to back one costly sci-fi action game, and Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was considered less of a risk than Mass Effect 5.

EA is under new financial pressures as a result of the $18 billion in debt it was saddled with in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s $55 billion leveraged buyout of the company. Bloomberg said that both Star Wars and Mass Effect were expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce, and despite the fact Battlefront 3 hadn’t even begun development, it was seen as a safer bet.

It didn’t help that BioWare’s recent games, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, had all failed commercially. Bloomberg also pointed to some internal politics that hurt BioWare’s cause within management.

BioWare had spent the past half decade teasing the next Mass Effect's setting and story before it was shut down last week. The shock news sparked an outpouring of affection for the studio's games, its staff past and present, and its legacy from fans and the video game community.

A trailer for Mass Effect 5 meant for internal purposes at BioWare soon leaked online, offering a glimpse at what might have been. The trailer, which IGN verified as legitimate, was created for EA leadership last year and was not meant for the public. The trailer has a number of familiar elements, including weaponry, powers, and alien species we've seen in previous Mass Effect games. There's a glimpse at a sex scene, a Mass Effect relay, space travel, and a nightclub, all of which are Mass Effect staples. There's even a galaxy map on display inside your ship.

According to Bloomberg, BioWare had around 50 staff working on Mass Effect 5 after EA gutted the studio following the failure of The Veilguard. This latest round of layoffs will see 400 jobs reportedly axed across EA, amounting to 3% of total staff. BioWare’s Austin studio reportedly remains open, working to support various EA games in development.

Amazon's Mass Effect TV show for Prime Video remains in the works, despite the end of BioWare and the cancelation of Mass Effect 5. Star Wars: Battlefront 3, meanwhile, is in the works at Respawn and DICE, although we know next to nothing about it.