Amid nearly 700 layoffs at EA, Mass Effect 5 reportedly remains in pre-production as BioWare focuses on Dragon Age Dreadwolf

Yesterday, shortly after EA laid off 670 employees and canceled a new Respawn game, a report has revealed Mass Effect 5 is still alive, and in pre-production.

EA announced the layoffs on February 28, alongside a statement that it would be effectively shutting down "development of future licensed IP," and pivoting back to its major franchises. Now, IGN has reported that BioWare's Mass Effect 5 is still in pre-production, while Dragon Age Dreadwolf remains in development.

"IGN also has learned that a team is still working in pre-production on the next Mass Effect, though BioWare's current focus remains on Dragon Age," the full report from IGN reads. We've known for years that Mass Effect 5 was in pre-production at BioWare, but IGN's new report reassures fans that development hasn't been halted in the wake of EA's layoffs.

Mass Effect 5 was first announced back in 2020, and since then, we've seen a few artistic teasers for the new game. A new teaser in November 2022 pointed to a futuristic cityscape for example, and a year later, one piece of art had fans speculating that the Paragon and Renegade system could be returning for Mass Effect 5. 

Elsewhere for EA, it was the original IGN report yesterday that revealed Ridgeline Games had been shuttered and development of a new Battlefield game had been scrapped entirely. The report also revealed that a new Star Wars FPS, which was in development at Apex Legends and Titanfall studio Respawn, had also been entirely canceled.

The news follows Sony laying off 900 developers earlier this week and shutting down its London Studio. Studios like Naughty Dog and Insomniac were also affected by the layoffs, and just like EA, Sony also revealed it had canceled unannounced games.

A report earlier this month indicated that the majority of developers weren't positive about the overall direction of the games industry.