Under EA’s New Owners, BioWare’s Next Mass Effect Has No Guarantees
A former EA manager now working at Newzoo said new investors could favor the safest financial decision over continued support for BioWare.
EA’s change in ownership has put BioWare’s next Mass Effect game under fresh scrutiny. The project remains in development, but its path to release now depends on whether the company’s new owners view BioWare’s work as worth continued funding.
EA’s $55 billion leveraged buyout went through this month, leaving the company under the control of a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. The deal also saw EA take on $20 billion in debt, creating a new financial reality for a publisher with everything from major sports franchises to long-dormant properties in its catalog.
Emmanuel Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo, spent nine years as a senior manager at EA. In a PC Gamer interview, he gave a particularly cautious assessment of BioWare’s next project: “I will believe it when I see it, the next Mass Effect game, let’s put it that way.”
Rosier expects sports to remain EA’s main focus, especially European football, because of the sport’s importance in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern markets. He also pointed to esports as an area where the new owners may want to push harder, given its popularity in those regions.
EA’s older franchises could face a very different future
The bigger question concerns the properties that sit outside EA’s safest earners. Rosier mentioned dormant franchises such as Ultima and Wing Commander, suggesting EA could sell some of those rights or hand them to outside studios instead of developing them internally. Mobile projects were another possibility he raised.
That approach could give forgotten series another chance, but it would not necessarily mean a return in the form longtime fans want. A property may have brand value without receiving the kind of care associated with a full internal revival.
BioWare’s franchises occupy an awkward middle ground in that portfolio. Rosier said the studio and the BioWare brand have struggled in recent years, leaving him unsure whether EA will keep funding them. “They’ve been struggling as a studio, as a brand have been struggling in recent years, and I don’t know if they [EA] will keep funding that one,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest question mark for me.” That concern reaches directly to both Dragon Age and Mass Effect, with the latter’s next entry still receiving very little public discussion.
BioWare has kept its attention on development rather than frequent updates, and Rosier noted that projects from the studio can take years to reach the finish line. BioWare revealed the next Mass Effect in 2020, but the project has remained mostly out of sight. Dragon Age: The Veilguard took nearly a decade to develop and underwent a major rework during production, offering a recent example of the studio’s long and complicated development cycles.
He also warned that investors who feel little attachment to EA’s history may choose the most financially sound option. “I think everything can happen at this moment,” Rosier said. “They [EA] can pull the plug very, very easily.”
There has been no cancellation announcement for the next Mass Effect, but there is no release certainty either. For now, the game remains one of the clearest tests of how EA’s new ownership will treat the publisher’s story-driven franchises.
The future of Mass Effect under EA’s new ownership is still unresolved, so share your thoughts in the comments and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram for more gaming coverage.
