EA closes BioWare in 400-job restructuring

EA is closing BioWare, the 31-year-old studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, as part of a restructuring that cuts 400 jobs, WhosWho.mt said in a LinkedIn post captured Oct. 22.

The reductions represent about 3% of EA’s workforce, the post said, and come alongside the cancellation of early work on the next Mass Effect game.

WhosWho.mt cited EA as saying it wants to focus resources on fewer large-scale projects.

For players, the reported closure would remove the studio name behind two long-running EA franchises. BioWare was founded in Canada in 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, and EA bought it in 2007, according to the post.

WhosWho.mt also said EA was acquired last year by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, in a buyout estimated at $55 billion.

The post said the deal included about $35 billion of equity and $20 billion of debt placed on EA’s books, and described it as larger than the $45 billion TXU Energy leveraged buyout in 2007.

Source: LinkedIn post, WhosWho.mt, Oct. 22.