EA Reportedly Picked Battlefront 3 Over Mass Effect Before Closing BioWare
Two sci-fi bets, one winner.
EA's decision to close BioWare came down to a choice between two big sci-fi games, and Mass Effect lost. A new Bloomberg report from Jason Schreier says EA picked Star Wars Battlefront 3 over the next Mass Effect when it decided which project to fund (VGC). The report also says that Battlefront 3, the game EA chose instead, hasn't even started development yet (MP1st).
EA announced on October 21 that BioWare would close after 30 years, and the next Mass Effect was cancelled along with it as part of about 400 layoffs across the company (Dexerto). We covered the closure here.
Why did EA pick Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect?
According to Bloomberg, when EA's leaders looked at their plans for the next few years, they saw two sci-fi action games that would each cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make (VGC). One was the next Mass Effect, and the other was Battlefront 3. EA only wanted to fund one of them, and it saw a new Star Wars game as the safer and more predictable bet for the company (MP1st).
Money was also tight, since EA is carrying about $18 billion in debt after its $55 billion buyout by a group led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which closed in August (Dexerto).
Has Battlefront 3 actually started?
Not yet, according to Bloomberg (MP1st). EA has told staff that DICE, the studio behind the last two Battlefront games, will team up with Respawn, the studio behind Star Wars Jedi, on a future project that is believed to be Battlefront 3 (VGC). We covered that team-up here.
What else played a part?
Bloomberg says the Star Wars choice was one of the main reasons, but BioWare's recent track record and company politics also played a part (VGC). Mass Effect: Andromeda got a rough reception in 2017, Anthem was shut down after its troubled 2019 launch, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard reportedly missed its sales targets (MP1st).
EA told Bloomberg that it "collectively reached this decision following months of planning, review, and analysis." It added that "we ultimately have to make tough decisions to focus our teams on the biggest opportunities for our future" (VGC).
What happens to Mass Effect now?
EA hasn't said what's next for Mass Effect or Dragon Age, even though the cancelled game had been in development for a few years (MP1st). Fans haven't given up, though. The #SaveMassEffect petition is still going, and fans are planning events for N7 Day on November 7.
My read is that this report stings even more than the closure did, because EA traded the studio behind Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect for a game that doesn't exist yet. Battlefront II still has a loyal crowd, and a sequel could be great, but a lot of us just wanted both. Our thoughts are still with everyone at BioWare.
More gaming coverage is right here.
Images are official screenshots from Star Wars Battlefront II and Mass Effect Legendary Edition, from EA, DICE, BioWare and Lucasfilm.
