Mass Effect creator Casey Hudson has reacted to BioWare's closure and the cancellation of the upcoming fifth game in the series.
Last night, BioWare confirmed that the studio is closing down and that development on the next Mass Effect title is ending. EA was acquired by Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund, Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake, with mass layoffs being predicted as the deal has EA take on $18 billion in debt. And now, just over two months after the acquisition, BioWare is gone as part of 400 job losses across a number of EA studios, including at Skate developer Full Circle.
Hudson, who directed all three games in the original Mass Effect trilogy, reacted to the news on Twitter, with a post reading. "This is sad news on multiple fronts – for those of us who worked there, for our friends and colleagues at BioWare who are impacted, and for fans who were looking forward to the next Mass Effect adventure."
This is sad news on multiple fronts - for those of us who worked there, for our friends and colleagues at BioWare who are impacted, and for fans who were looking forward to the next Mass Effect adventure. I started my career at BioWare and will forever be grateful to the founders, Greg and Ray, for inviting me to join in BioWare's legendary journey. Its legacy will live on through those who were part of it and continue to create games through a passion for unforgettable stories, worlds and characters.October 21, 2026
"I started my career at BioWare and will forever be grateful to the founders, Greg and Ray, for inviting me to join in BioWare's legendary journey," Hudson says, adding, "Its legacy will live on through those who were part of it and continue to create games through a passion for unforgettable stories, worlds and characters."
Hudson's first credit was for BioWare shooter MDK 2, before going on to direct Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy. He then rejoined the studio in 2017, serving as the studio's general manager and releasing Anthem and Mass Effect Legendary Edition. He is currently working on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, which is in development at Arcanaut Studios.
Layoffs are increasingly becoming commonplace in the industry, with Microsoft currently in the midst of laying off 3,200 Xbox employees by the end of the fiscal year. On top of the $18 billion in debt the company has taken on, EA CEO Andrew Wilson made 305x more than the average EA employee last year, and, should the new owners decide to let him go, he could qualify for an additional $125 million in severance.
Unfortunately, as 2026 has shown, not even the most established or influential studios in the industry are safe anymore: earlier this year, Doom developer and FPS pioneer Id Software was gutted by Microsoft, and now BioWare is gone.
