The previously reported BioWare layoffs have gutted the once-legendary RPG studio, leaving it with fewer than 100 employees, according to a new report from Bloomberg. This is a stunning decline from the more than 200 developers who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and an even more dramatic fall from BioWare’s peak, when the company operated across three studios and employed well over 400 people.
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
READ: BioWare Layoffs Begin as EA Purges ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ Activist Developers
Electronic Arts’ restructuring of BioWare was initially framed as a way to reallocate talent to other projects, particularly as Mass Effect remains in early production (despite being announced five years ago). However, as more details emerge, it’s clear that this wasn’t just a shift in resources—it was the culmination of years of mismanagement and decline, leading to a near-total collapse of BioWare as a development powerhouse.
BioWare’s Rapid Deterioration Under EA
At its height, BioWare was one of the most respected RPG studios in the world, delivering genre-defining experiences with Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. But under EA’s leadership, the studio has been in a steady decline for the past decade, with each new project plagued by creative confusion, studio mismanagement, and an increasing emphasis on live-service monetization over strong storytelling.
A screenshot from Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021), BioWare
While EA’s latest restructuring announcement tried to downplay the BioWare layoffs, the numbers speak for themselves. More than half of the studio has been wiped out since work began on The Veilguard, and the final blow came after the game’s disastrous performance. EA had originally planned to “loan” developers to other teams while Mass Effect was still in early production, but once it became clear that Veilguard had missed its sales targets by nearly 50%, those relocations became permanent, with over 20 additional staff members laid off outright.
From 400+ Employees to Less Than 100
To truly grasp the scale of BioWare’s downfall, it’s worth looking at where the studio stood in previous years:
- 2010: BioWare Montreal was established, eventually leading development on Mass Effect: Andromeda with a team of over 300 people.
- 2014: BioWare Austin had between 80-150 developers working on Shadow Realms, a game that was later canceled.
- 2017: Reports suggested 320 employees were working at BioWare Edmonton, the studio’s original flagship location.
- 2019: BioWare had a combined workforce of around 400-500 employees, spanning Edmonton, Austin, and Montreal.
Compare that to today, with BioWare operating as a single-team operation with fewer than 100 employees. This level of downsizing signals that EA has no long-term vision for the studio beyond one final shot at reviving Mass Effect.
A screenshot from Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021), BioWare
The BioWare layoffs are just the latest in a long series of missteps that have eroded the company’s standing as North America’s premiere RPG developer. EA has squandered BioWare’s reputation through constant pivots, misguided live-service experiments, and a complete misunderstanding of what made the studio successful in the first place.
Games like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem were clear warning signs that EA was steering BioWare in the wrong direction. The Veilguard cemented that failure, with its heavy-handed identity politics, alienation of longtime fans, and fundamental misunderstanding of what players wanted from the franchise. Now, with BioWare at its weakest, EA appears to be setting up Mass Effect as a last-ditch effort to justify the studio’s continued existence.
Do you think these BioWare layoffs will ultimately lead to the studio’s closure? Is there any hope for Mass Effect? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
