Yesterday came the news that Electronic Arts is being acquired by a group of investors, led by the Saudi-based PIF, for $55 billion.
With it comes countless questions, one of which is about the future of not just Electronic Arts, but the developers and properties under that umbrella.
Fans were already worried about what this means for the future of the Mass Effect series. After 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda flopped, developer BioWare made the decision to let the franchise take a break for a few years. Several years later, however, came the news that a new entry in the Mass Effect franchise was in development, presumably taking place directly after the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy.
The trilogy itself was remastered as part of the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in 2021. Since then, however, we haven’t had many substantial updates for Mass Effect. Then again, BioWare was hard at work on their other major franchise leading into the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard last year. While it was met with strong reviews, including our own, The Veilgard failed to resonate with fans.
A new report from Insider Gaming details that EA reportedly looked to sell the studio, presumably following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Obviously, that didn’t come to fruition, but it paints an ugly picture about the future of the iconic developer.
Following A Tumutulous Year, The Future Of BioWare Is In Doubt
BioWare would undergo layoffs at the start of this year, though they confirmed that the new Mass Effect was still in development.
Following the news of EA’s acquisition, though, that future feels a little less certain. One source painted a pretty grim picture to Insider Gaming:
Look at the negativity that came after Dragon Age. If we felt it was only going to get worse then, you can imagine what some of us think now.
Other sources indicate that they’re already looking elsewhere. “I’ve been doing it since last year, but I’m making sure I have a portfolio ready and feelers out for other jobs. Kind of feels like a matter of time.”
Reports indicate that EA is taking on $20 billion in debt. Yes, that’s quite a bit of money they’re on the hook for, which means they’ll have to make it up somewhere. Given the current state of the industry, there’s plenty of concern for even more layoffs in the future.
Those layoffs may not come until after the deal is finalized, but given the massive amount of layoffs at Microsoft this year following their acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, I wouldn’t be surprised to see history repeat itself here.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
