EA has closed BioWare, canceled the next Mass Effect, and, most importantly, upended the lives of even more game developers in a tumultuous time for the industry. In response, developers are paying tribute to the legendary RPG studio online, with many calling its games pivotal to their own creative paths.
17-year BioWare veteran and longtime director Michael Gamble shared the studio's news post. "Your support has meant everything to me over the past 17 years at BioWare," he writes.
New Bungie head Josh Deane replied to Gamble's post, saying, "Thank you and to everyone at Bioware who has built worlds that have been such an important part of our lives." In a separate post, Deane adds, "This studio is magical and an existential part of my favorite gaming memories, I refuse to believe this..."
CD Projekt Red veteran Paweł Sasko, a face of the studio to many fans of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, says "Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 shaped my imagination and the desire to create games. I would have never been here without BioWare igniting the fire in my heart. It inspired me, formed me, enriched my imagination, and for that I will be forever grateful. I will always remember you."
CDPR co-CEO Michał Nowakowski adds, "Bioware has been a massive part of CDPR history. We befriended them when localizing and selling Baldur's Gate games in Poland, Czech, and Slovakia. And later they were [a] great help when lending us their engine for Witcher 1, sharing their wisdom and even giving us a spot at their booth at E3.
"I had [the] pleasure to visit them a few times in Edmonton and also host them in our Warsaw office. Very sad for the people affected, but also sad to see a legendary brand go down. Not a great day in the games industry."
Gamble responded to Nowakowski's post, saying, "Thanks Michal. We've always been fans of you guys. Always will be."
InXile Entertainment head Brian Fargo also commented on the original Baldur's Gate games. "We saw the promise in what they could do," he says of BioWare's days on Shattered Steel, "and they went on to create Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 and become legendary. A sad day indeed. My thoughts are with everyone there today."
Mortal Kombat's Ed Boon is of a similar mind. "Very sorry to hear. They made some amazing games," he says of BioWare's shutdown statement.
Comms director Thomas Puha of Control and Alan Waker studio Remedy sums up the thoughts of many: "RIP BioWare. This was coming but so sad to read. The growing problem for large publishers is that smaller AAA games won’t bring enough money so can’t take the risk on them, but not doing original games? We need those, need new franchises."
"Really sad outcome for a studio that helped define an entire genre," reckons Del Walker, an artist known for his work on The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Walker suggests the studio's closure is "the result of about 15 years of problems piling up," including consecutive commercial failures, mismanagement, and increased scrutiny from an EA team staring down billions in debt post-buyout.
Veteran games writer Emma Kidwell calls the shutdown "a massive fucking failure on EA's part."
"What a waste of skill and institutional knowledge. Mass Effect means so much to me personally, I wouldn't be a dev if I never played the trilogy. my heart goes out to everyone, we deserve better," she says.
"End of an era," says Caves of Qud's Brian Bucklew.
"Truly this is a terrible time," Xbox founder Seamus Blackley writes.
Original Mass Effect composer Sam Hulick was among the first to speak out. "Absolutely heartbroken over the end of an era," he says. "I hope all the talented and wonderful folks at BioWare land on their feet and keep working on incredible games. I loved every minute of working with you on the Mass Effect trilogy."
Many other former BioWare devs have also weighed in. Several of them are now at North Mist Studios, writing on Bluesky, "Very heavy news as our former studio, BioWare, closes its doors today. It was a formative place for many. However, many former BioWare devs are scattered around the industry. Find them, support them. Like, follow, comment and help us prove there is still support for the types of games we make!"
One current EA contractor, narrative designer Jarrett Poole of the Skate team, touched on the broader cuts at EA: "My contract will run its course, so I'm still employed. But seeing many of my amazing coworkers and friends shown the door today has been devastating. Each one deserves better than this. Every dev deserves better than this."
